Christian Bale plays Moses in Exodus

MANILA, Philippines - One man’s destiny to rule an empire is about to be challenged by a man destined to defy it in Ridley Scott’s Exodus: Gods and Kings, starring Christian Bale and Joel Edgerton. The film’s intrigue, scale, scope, adventurer and vivid characters provide a unique theatrical event. The Exodus from Egypt is the original and definitive heroic saga. It’s also a powerful and personal story rich with emotion, rivalry and betrayal and an undying quest for freedom.

Notes Ridley: “Moses’ life is one of the greatest adventures and spiritual quests of all time.” From its opening battle where 15,000 Egyptian soldiers attack a Hittite encampment, to the towering structures, a terrifying series of plagues and the parting of the Red Sea, Scott brings his signature vision to one of our most cherished and important stories.

Christian stars as Moses, alongside Joel Edgerton as Ramses, John Turturro as Seti, Ben Kingsley as Nun and Aaron Paul as Joshua. The cast of Exodus: Gods and Kings is comprised of numerous award winners, and hails from a wide range of countries. As Ridley explains, “Egypt was — as it is now — a confluence of cultures, as a result of being a crossroads between Africa, the Middle East and Europe. We cast actors from different ethnicities to reflect this diversity of culture — from Iranians to Spaniards to Arabs. There are many different theories about the ethnicity of the Egyptian people, and we had many discussions about how to best represent the culture. In bringing to life a story that has roots in many religions and is important to people across the world, we also looked to cast actors who could, through their vivid performances, do justice to a universal story.”

Christian is an actor with whom Ridley has long sought to collaborate. “He has a very powerful physical presence on screen,” he says. Before shooting Exodus: Gods and Kings, Christian had starred in the Scott Free production Out of the Furnace, playing a steel worker. To Ridley, that role, in a way, presaged the actor’s turn as the Hebrew prophet and liberator. “Moses is much more like a steel worker than a Pharaoh — he’s a modest man with common sense.”

There was certainly much to explore with the character. “Moses is an iconic figure who at the same time has to be played as a real person,” says Ridley. “He’s the film’s heroic center and its emotional core.” Christian took on the role for several reasons. He explains: “I feel the Exodus story is not only one of the cornerstones of many of the world’s sacred texts, but it is one of the most profound narratives in human history. I found that Moses was a complex and reluctant hero.”

 Through his faith he transformed into a freedom fighter who would stop at nothing to further God’s will. That said, he was also a man of contradictions: He was faithful but also argumentative; hesitant but also assertive; a warrior but also a liberator; and he was tempestuous but stoic.”

Available in 2D, 3D and IMAX 3D, Exodus: Gods and Kings is now showing in theaters nationwide.