Ridley Scott's 'Exodus' Reportedly Casts Joel Edgerton as Ramses
Joel Edgerton is reportedly in talks with Ridley Scott to star in his upcoming Biblical film "Exodus." Edgerton is up for the role of Ramses, the pharaoh of Egypt at the time.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Edgerton will star in "Exodus" opposite Christian Bale, who is playing Moses. "Exodus" is scheduled to begin filming in September and shoot in Spain, Morocco, and England. It would be a huge project for Scott, who is well-known for his big-screen productions.
Steve Zaillian, who has worked on "Schindler's List," "Moneyball," and "Gangs of New York," is onboard for the film and wrote the most recent draft of the script. The film is picking up steam, as Scott only revealed he was working on the project in March. It was by accident that he let it slip to Esquire magazine.
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"I probably shouldn't have let that slip out," Scott immediately said. "I 'm not supposed to say anything. It's definitely in the cards, though. What's interesting to me about Moses isn't the big stuff that everybody knows. It's things like his relationship with Ramses [II, the pharaoh]. I honestly wasn't paying attention in school when I was told the story of Moses. Some of the details of his life are extraordinary," the director said.
"I'm really intrigued by those eternal questions of creation and belief and faith," Scott noted. "I don't care who you are, it's what we all think about. It's in the back of all of our minds."
Edgerton has starred in such films as "Animal Kingdom," "Warrior," and most recently in "The Great Gatsby." He will soon play opposite Michael Shannon in "Midnight Special" but has not confirmed that he is working on "Exodus."
Scott has strong feelings about religious belief, and religion in general, which he claimed is "the biggest source of evil. Everyone is tearing each other apart in the name of their personal god. And the irony is, by definition, they're probably worshiping the same god."
Scott's latest film, "The Counselor," will be in theaters in October.
