20th Century Fox has unveiled some new Exodus: Gods and Kings images ahead of the film’s trailer debut, which will come with next week’s Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.  Directed by Ridley Scott, the epic retells the Moses story, with Christian Bale taking on the lead role and Joel Edgerton playing the Pharaoh Ramses.  From these debut images, its clear that Bale’s Moses won’t be pulling any punches.  With Ben Kingsley, Aaron Paul, Sigourney Weaver, and John Turturro also a part of the cast, the film certainly has a solid supporting lineup, and the last time Ridley Scott took on a period epic, the result was the excellent Kingdom of Heaven (well, the Director’s Cut at least).  I’ll admit the image of Weaver as Ramses’ mother is, uh, striking, but the prospect of the actress reteaming with her Alien and 1492 director is nonetheless exciting.

Hit the jump to take a look at the Exodus: Gods and Kings images, and look for the first trailer here on Collider soon.  The film opens in theaters on December 5th, just in time for the awards/holiday season.

Speaking with EW, Bale had this to say about his take on the Moses character:

“He’s one of the most fascinating characters that I’ve ever studied. I think Achilles is described as the most passionate man alive but I think Moses would give him a very good run for his money.”

Surprisingly, Scott managed to shoot the entire pic in just 74 days, which is almost a miracle in and of itself given the scope of the epic.  Though Scott has been a bit hit and miss as of late, I’m definitely eager to see his take on this familiar story told on a massive canvas.  Here’s hoping the finished product delivers.

Images via Fox.