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Ridley Scott Plotting Another Biblical Epic, About David

Though Gladiator filmmaker Ridley Scott is still in post-production putting the final touches on his upcoming Biblical epic Exodus: Gods and Kings, the director is already planning to bring another fabled Biblical hero to the big screen. This time, Scott has set his sights on the story of David, said to have become the king of Israel after slaying the giant Goliath in his youth with a stone from his sling.

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Though Gladiator filmmaker Ridley Scott is still in post-production putting the final touches on his upcoming Biblical epic Exodus: Gods and Kings, the director is already planning to bring another fabled Biblical hero to the big screen. This time, Scott has set his sights on the story of David, said to have become the king of Israel after slaying the giant Goliath in his youth with a stone from his sling.

However, Scott (who is not signed to direct yet but has boarded as a producer) won’t be centering on the battle between David and Goliath – the film is reported to instead follow David through his post-Goliath years, during his reign as the king of Israel. Jonathan Stokes, who has written four Black List scripts in three years and had a record four scripts recognized on the Hit List for most-liked but unproduced spec scripts, will be penning the screenplay.

Scott will reteam with 20th Century Fox and Chernin Entertainment, his Exodus: Gods and Kings collaborators. Though his role as a producer is assured, him directing David (not an official title) is less of a sure thing. The in-demand helmer is already eyeing The Martian with Matt Damon and Prometheus 2. However, Fox and Chernin are likely more than happy to wait for Scott’s schedule to open up, seeing as Stokes was just recently tasked with writing the script. Besides, David is being conceived as a “large-scale undertaking in a similar vein to Noah and Exodus,” and there may be no director alive today as equipped to handle an epic like that as Scott.

It’s refreshing to learn that we won’t be seeing the familiar story of David conquering Goliah on the big screen for this movie. It’s such a well-known story that I doubt Stokes would be able to find an approach interesting enough to make it worth anyone’s while. Besides, David’s reign as king seems like a much more intriguing subject, not to mention one more conducive to Scott’s flair for sweeping battles and dazzling scenery.

We’ll keep you posted as more on David emerges.