Director Ridley Scott revealed that he is planning a movie about Moses, and shared that he is skeptical of religion, calling it "the biggest source of evil."
Previewing his latest movie, "Prometheus," a prequel to his 1979 sci-fi classic "Alien," Scott discussed religion in an interview with Esquire magazine, published online this week, as well as brief details about the Moses film. The director, who is also known for the films "Blade Runner" and "Gladiator," explained that he wants to take a unique, personal approach to the movie.
However, no details about the film have yet been announced, as it is not officially under production, and the director admitted that he wasn't supposed to talk about it yet.
"No, I've got something else in the works. I'm already doing it. It's called Moses," Scott responded to a question about possibly filming a movie about the Virgin Mary.
"Seriously, seriously. It's going to happen," he added, but remarked: "I probably shouldn't have let that slip out. I'm not supposed to say anything."
"It's definitely in the cards, though," he noted. "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," Scott said.
Earlier in the interview, Esquire commented on an "Old Testament" vibe in the movie "Prometheus," to which Scott replied, "Great. Then I've done my job."
"I'm really intrigued by those eternal questions of creation and belief and faith. I don't care who you are, it's what we all think about. It's in the back of all our minds," the director added.
When asked about a scene from the "Prometheus" that tests how much one can hold on to faith in bad times, the director projected his skepticism concerning religions.
"I do despair. That's a heavy word, but picking up a newspaper every day, how can you not despair at what's happening in the world, and how we're represented as human beings? The disappointments and corruption are dismaying at every level. And the biggest source of evil is of course religion," Scott said.
"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," he added.
A potential Ridley Scott Moses film would only add to a line-up of big-budget Hollywood biblical epics that are rumored to be on the way. Steven Spielberg will be coming out with his own Moses movie, although that one is said to be bigger in scale and focus on the wider Old Testament story. Darren Aronofsky, who directed "The Fountain," "The Wrestler" and "Black Swan," is planning, on the other hand, a film on the story of Noah and the Great Flood.
