2/3 - Quiet on the set ... magic at work on Gods of Egypt

[Paisleyscot]

Quiet on the set ... magic at work on Gods of Egypt

Australian director Alex Proyas, who has began making his new film Gods Of Egypt at Fox Studios.

IT could very well be the biggest film ever made in Australia.

On the same scale as Star Wars and Indiana Jones, filmmaker Alex Proyas is all too aware of what he's about to undertake with Gods Of Egypt.

"With all of my other films I've never done publicity this early before, I've never seen the point," he told Confidential.

"But with this ... the scale is so big, it excites me. I want to talk about what we're doing here."

Confidential caught up with the acclaimed director on set at Sydney's Fox Studios, where the production offices for Proyas' multi-million dollar blockbuster are based.

He had been looking at concept designs for what he said would be his most complicated film yet, which is a big call for the visionary who brought us The Crow, Dark City, and I, Robot.

The Egyptian-born director, who calls Sydney home, has enlisted an A-list cast that includes Gerard Butler, Geoffrey Rush, Brenton Thwaites and Game Of Thrones star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau to bring his take on mythological Egypt to life.

"We're calling it 'Planet Egypt' at the moment because the world is so unlike anything seen before," he explained.

"It's not historical, but it does conform to the mythology as you know it. As a filmmaker you're a kid that has never grown up: you have to be to do this job. This is the world of Gods and human intermingled."

It was clearly enough to entice Oscar-winner Rush, who described Proyas as a gushing "fanboy" when it comes to Egyptian mythology.

Rush will play Sun God, Ra, in the epic and spent the past week getting decked out in an elaborate costume as part of the pre-production process.

"I've been getting covered in plaster of Paris," Rush said. "You've just got to make sure you hold your breath for an illegally long amount of time so they can get the shape of the head right. "I'm hoping that they'll be making some ridiculously fantastic Egyptian hat since I am playing a God, you know."

Rush said the experience has been "very collaborative" and that he is excited to see what Proyas will pull off behind the camera as a "technical expert".

"It's one of my favourite parts of the process," he smiled.

"It's so much fun initially working with the hair and make-up and costume people on how we are going to create the look and the silhouette of this character because at the same time you don't want it to look like anything else you've seen on screen before."

Source

[shirsan]

WOW. I can't wait for this. I hope I'm still around to see it.

When is it due out, 2015?

I know Gerry keeps busy making movies to entertain us.

Love him absolutely,

Sandy