Paramount was/is in development with a remake of the film classic, The Ten Commandments (1956), and producers were said to be “eyeing a writer-director who can give a different take than previous incarnations of the timeless tale.”
How much further it will go in the development process remains to be seen, but if I were to bet, I’d say the odds were not in favor of a remake ever seeing the light of day (or the dark of a theater). But, then again, I would have bet that it wouldn’t have made it to the point where producers were on board—and two are (or were).
A remake seems a strange gamble considering the original is so beloved and regularly watched (on television), and that Paramount will have a limited re-release of the film in selected theaters acros the United States this weekend. As well, the same basic subject matter was presented in Exodus: Gods and Kings just a year and a quarter ago—and didn’t do extremely well at the box office.
What, then, would be the point of a remake—especially if its financial success could not be guaranteed? I would suggest: nothing.
However, if a remake is still in development and if the producers are looking for a different take on the classic, then I would boldly suggest the following:
Creativity and invention are fine, but...
Don’t contradict plot points that are clearly stated in the original text (which is, for those who may have forgotten, the Bible).
Don’t have characters do or say anything that would be out of character for their Biblical personalities to have said or done.
The appearance of the characters in the film should reflect the place, time and backgrounds of the Biblical personalities.
The passage of time as presented in the film should correlate to the same time frame as presented in the Bible.
Select a time period and provide costumes and sets that accurately reflect it.
Neither be a slave to King Jamesian dialogue nor feel the need to interject modern colloquialisms. A remake should not seem to have been written by either William Shakespeare or David Mamet.
Moses of the Bible is flawed, and the screen version should reflect that at appropriate times.
Finally (and perhaps firstly), the filmmakers should embrace the miraculous.