Ridley Scott Adds ‘Moses’ To His Increasingly Overstuffed Schedule

That darned Ridley Scott. Not content to address the origins of human existence in his new sci-fi thriller 'Prometheus,' the 74-year-old filmmaker is taking on another ambitious project: adapting the Biblical story of Moses.

With 'Prometheus' out now in the U.K. and opening this Friday in the U.S. -- and his next movie, 'The Counselor,' scheduled to roll camera later this month -- you might think Scott would keep his schedule after that clear for a while.

Nothing doing, however. Scott told Esquire that he's working on a new screen version of the story of Moses, who in the Bible led the Jews out of enslavement in Egypt and received the Ten Commandments from God himself in the bargain. Scott said about the project, "I’ve got something else in the works. I’m already doing it. It’s called 'Moses'...Seriously, seriously. It’s going to happen.”

After admitting that he probably spilled the beans on the film too early, Scott dove right in again with his take on the tale: "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's 'Moses' is the link between two cinematic boomlets happening at the moment: one in Biblical movies and one in Ridley Scott films. 'Black Swan' director Darren Aronofsky is about to start filming 'Noah' with Russell Crowe as the title ark-driver, while Steven Spielberg has his own Moses movie, a "gritty" spin on the story called 'Gods and Kings,' in the pipeline for a possible 2013 start. We haven't seen this many adaptations of the Holy Book since the days of Cecil B. DeMille.

And then there's the dramatic increase in Scott-related projects as well. Not only is 'The Counselor' up to bat next, but Scott also has plans to sequelize his 1982 classic 'Blade Runner.' And then of course there's the possibility of 'Prometheus 2' if the first one hits the box office jackpot.

Would you like to see Ridley Scott's take on the story of Moses? If so, who should step into the revered sandals once worn by Chuck Heston?