The cast and crew of the upcoming biblical film "Exodus: Gods and Kings" shared exclusive photos and details about the film on Tuesday.

"Exodus" star Christian Bale and director Ridley Scott said that the epic movie has both incredible visuals and rich storytelling.

Scott called it an "emotional journey" with "realistic characters" in an interview with PEOPLE , and also touted the film's visual effects.

"The bigger the better," he said. "It's all pretty massive."

The movie is an adaptation of the biblical story of Moses—a Hebrew who was adopted by the Pharaoh's daughter and frees the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. Bale plays Moses, and Sigourney Weaver plays his adopted mother, Queen Tuya. John Turturro is Pharaoh Seti, and Joel Edgerton plays Moses' adopted brother, Ramses II.

Edgerton was enthusiastic about the film, slated to release on December 12.

"It feels very rich, grand and epic," he gushed. "There's something very regal and austere and driven about it, and very human."

He also described how he transformed into the prince of Egypt.

"My body was almost entirely void of hair. I actually spent four months shaved and plucked," Edgerton divulged.

"I would literally get up every morning and put on a gold skirt and work with an eagle or a puma or something around me, and I would rule Egypt. It was bizarre, but fun."

He also called the film's look "authentic," a feeling shared by Scott.

"It all looks completely real," he told PEOPLE. "We nailed it absolutely visually."

The film joins a growing list of biblical projects being produced by Hollywood.

NBC television series "Beyond the Bible" will premiere Easter Sunday 2015, and a remake of the epic film "Ben-Hur" will also be released next year. The 2014 releases "Son of God," "Noah," and "God's Not Dead" were popular, and the miniseries "The Bible" greatly exceeded expectations.

As NBC's president of late-night and alternative programming, Paul Telegdy, said, there will always be a market for religious stories.

"There are not a lot of books being read these days," he told Forbes. "But there is one that's being read and reread, and that's the Bible."