The first look at Ridley Scott’s biblical epic Exodus: Gods and Kings, based on the biblical story of Moses and the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, has been released this week in all its blockbuster trailer glory.

Starring Christian Bale as Moses and Australia’s Joel Edgerton as Ramses, Exodus is the next of a flood of biblical epics gracing cinema screens in 2014/2015. Exodus is set to be released on 1 January 2015 in Australia, nine months after the release of Noah directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Russell Crowe in the title role.

Biblical epics have historically brought in the big dough for Hollywood producers. In Australia in March, Noah pulled in over $4.5 million in the first weekend alone, and has had total box office takings of over $11.6 million, according to Box Office Mojo. It ranks 15th in the highest-grossing films of 2014 so far (to compare, the top grossing film is The Lego Movie, at just over $27.7 million).

Exodus has a star studded line up, with Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul as Joshua and Sigourney Weaver as Tuya, the mother of Ramses. How closely Exodus will stick to the biblical narrative is still unknown, though early suggestions in the title (‘Gods’, plural) may be an indication of creative license. However, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly director Ridley Scott said he was blown away by the biblical narrative: “Either I wasn’t paying attention in Sunday school or I had forgotten. I was knocked out by who [Moses] was and the basics of the story — it has to be one of the greatest adventures and spiritual experiences that could ever have been.”

Christian Bale told HitFix in a recent interview that he was intrigued by the person of Moses, as will many others, most of whom won’t have read the five books of Moses (or ‘The Torah’ – Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy): “If you read it all the way through, it’s harsh. It’s really ‘Old Testament.’ And violence in the extreme. He was not a man of any half measures whatsoever.”

Rumours that Scott is planning his next biblical epic have already begun to circulate, with Variety reporting plans for a film based on King David.