I remember back when I was very young I used to beg my parents to stay up late and watch movies. For some reason back then I was a big fan of "sword and sandal" epics like Cleopatra and The Ten Commandments. Their stories of life and death filled with action, drama, suspense and spectacle really appealed to me. As I grew older I still enjoyed watching these classics occasionally on TV or on DVD -- their splendor somewhat diminished by the passage of time but still a very entertaining way to spend a few hours.

Now, according to The Hollywood Reporter, I am going to get a chance to enjoy The Ten Commandments all over again -- in the form of a new 3-D CGI animated feature film from Promenade Pictures and producer Frank Yablans. The new film, which will reportedly be the first in a 12-picture series called "Epic Stories From the Bible," is being animated in both New Zealand and Singapore and features the voices of actors Ben Kingsley, Elliott Gould and Christian Slater as Moses. Other projects in the series are expected to be announced shortly and will be part of the series of four to six films a year comprised of a mixture of wide releases and more niche platform titles.

In truth, I'm not sure exactly how I feel about a new version of this classic film. I guess its invertible that films with this kind of popularity will keep getting remade. After all, we did have to suffer through the less-than-stellar ABC mini-series from a few years ago. With any luck, this new film will be far superior to that one. Plus, I do have a soft spot for animation so that's a plus as well. However it all turns out, we'll all get a chance to find out when the film gets released on October 26.

There aren't any plans for an official sequel to The Passion of the Christ (unofficial is another story), but one Bible publisher is producing what seems to be a related product. This October, Nelson Bibles will release a 25-hour audiobook of the New King James Version complete with a star-studded cast, including Jim Caviezel as the voice of Jesus.

The rest of the Passion cast has been substituted with other big names, and there doesn't seem to be any affiliation with Newmarket Films or Mel Gibson, but obviously Nelson is using the connection to its advantage. Otherwise the real appeal of the audiobook, entitled The Word of Promise: New Testament, should be Terrence Stamp, who provides the voice of God, and Richard Dreyfuss, who plays Moses.

There will be a follow-up (or, should I say prequel?) to the audiobook that will be based on the Old Testament, and Stamp and Dreyfuss will return in their respective parts. Unfortunately, Caviezel's role will not be included. Neither will the parts played by Marisa Tomei, Lou Diamond Phillips, Kimberly Williams, Ernie Hudson, John Heard or Luke Perry (try to imagine Judas with Dylan McKay's sideburns).