Hollywood seeks divine inspiration with biblical epics

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• It was an intriguing image and it caught Twitter users' imagination – a massive wooden replica of Noah's Ark under construction in suburban New York. "I dreamt about this since I was 13," tweeted Black Swan director Darren Aronofsky, whose epic film of Noah’s life is set for release next March. "And now it's a reality."This enormous set is a rare extravagance in the age of CGI pictures. And in more ways than one, it looks back to an older style of movie-making. It heralds a flood of Hollywood films on biblical themes.
  There are two planned Moses pictures in the works, with Ang Lee and Ridley Scott rumoured as directors. Then there’s a Cain and Abel story in development. Sony Pictures Entertainment confirmed last year they’d given approval for production to go ahead through Will Smith’s production company. Other religious films are also being incubated.
  Hollywood’s interest in biblical epics is to some extent cyclical – in the 1950s and early 60s they were a staple. Legendary filmmaker Cecil B DeMille made a big impact with The Ten Commandments in which Charlton Heston played Moses. Other biblical hits from the time included Solomon and Sheba, David and Bathsheba and Ben-Hur. These films dominated the box office.
  But not all the religious films from the era resonated with an audience. One of the best-known – The Greatest Story Ever Told – didn’t do well commercially. And several didn’t meet with the approval of reviewers. The New York Times critic wrote that the biblical epic King of Kings, narrated by Orson Wells, had “the nature of an illustrated lecture.”
  Recently interest in religious-themed films has been heightened as the Hollywood studios have, once again, come to realise there’s a potentially huge audience for biblical fare. Not necessarily earth-shattering news when you take into account that a Gallup poll conducted last year found more than 75 per cent of Americans identify with a Christian religion.
  But what’s got Hollywood’s attention in the past few weeks is the just-completed American TV series The Bible on the History Channel. This miniseries – which dramatised the Bible in five two-hour programmes – became a surprise blockbuster. It reached an audience of more than 13 million with its first episode – an unusually large viewing figure for a miniseries on cable TV.
  Reality TV impresario Mark Burnett, who co-produced the series with his wife actress Roma Downey, clearly thinks there’s a demand for religious entertainment. “We believe in the Bible, we believe in Jesus and that’s the number one subject right now in America. And that’s great!” he says.
  The success of the History Channel’s The Bible has animated studio executives. Paul Degarabedian, box office analyst for Hollywood.com, says: “I think that’s maybe the foremost thing on their minds right now: that if done properly Bible-based movies could potentially be moneymaking and profitable.”
  Gods and superheroes
  But catering to the growing interest in biblical adventures presents the Hollywood studios with a challenge: how to create a movie that will engage both secular audiences as well as those who strongly identify with their religious background? Screenplays have to be thoughtfully composed to reach audiences everywhere. It’s not an easy feat if you’re trying to reach a worldwide audience that includes people who practice very different religions.
  Making the right kind of religious films is difficult for the studios as Toby Miller, author of Global Hollywood 2, confirms. “It’s a big issue in overseas sales,” he says. “How Christian can you get? How Old Testament can you get? ”