On December 12, Exodus: Gods and Kings, Ridley Scott’s new film about Moses, will be released in theaters nationwide. What could a director possibly add to the original story to make it more epic on screen? We already have plagues of frogs, boils, locusts, parting an ocean, smiting oppressors—what more could there be? Scott’s answer: Presenting Moses as “Batman” by pulling in actor Christian Bale from the latest “Dark Knight” remakes. It should make audiences take a fresh look at the original.

It seems that Scott’s script was the first encounter with the story for at least one person—Bale himself. He recently told a group of reporters that he thought Moses was most likely a schizophrenic, and the most “barbaric individual” he’s ever read about. Think what you will, Batman, but the Bible is full of complicated people in tough situations who are forced to make tough decisions that change the direction of their lives. The more we encounter it, the more often we find ourselves in its pages.

Our own Drew Hood writes about the controversy and the film in USA Today. See what you think here.