The trailer for Ridley Scott’s Exodus: Gods And Kings suggests a whitewashed Prince Of Egypt

By Caroline Siede | July 9, 2014 | 8:05pm

Film Features Film

The first trailer for Ridley Scott’s Exodus: Gods And Kings plays out like a live-action version of The Prince Of Egypt. Both that ’90s animated film and Scott’s upcoming epic tell the tale of Moses by focusing on his relationship to his brother, Ramses, Pharaoh of Egypt. But while the animated version embraced a variety of skin tones, Scott’s film looks a bit more monochromatic. Despite the Egyptian setting, white actors Christian Bale and Joel Edgerton star as Moses and Ramses, respectively. Rounding out the cast are other notable white people Aaron Paul, John Turturro, and Sigourney Weaver. Ben Kingsley seems to be the only actor of color in a predominate role (although everyone is sporting a whole lot of black eyeliner for “authenticity”).

Exodus: Gods And Kings retells the biblical story of Moses with a few more action scenes than were written in the Book of Exodus. An Israelite orphan raised by the Egyptian royal family, Moses is chosen by God to lead 600,000 Israelite slaves out of Egypt. While the trailer hits the CGI action harder than the biblical message, iconic images of plagues and the parting of the Red Sea pop up as well. Unfortunately, at no point does Bale burst into “When You Believe.”