Thou shalt not covet thy Middle Eastern neighbor’s oil–but coveting his wife, not such a big problem. Thou shalt not use weapons of mass destruction. Thou shalt not lie–unless you are up for re-election. These are a few of the changes I am speculating that David Wain, from the satirical comedy troupe Stella, might make to the original Ten Commandments now that he is writing and directing a Biblical spoof simply called “The Ten.”
Set to start shooting in New York City this summer, little is known about this interpretation of the handing down of God’s law to the Jews: Will it take place in modern times, is Paul Rudd playing Moses (he is attached to the project but no word on which part he is playing), and will there be plenty of jokes to offend Christians and Jews alike? Because of the way Wain and his colleagues have pushed the comedic envelope in the past, I am guessing the answers to all of those questions is “yes.”
While internet buzz is already comparing the movie to the kind of parody Monty Python or Mel Brooks (“The History of the World, Part One”) might do, I am looking for the film to more closely resemble Kevin Smith’s controversial religious comedy, “Dogma.”
Whichever slant the sharp-witted Wain takes, the only way I could be more curious to see this movie is if I heard Wain was giving Jon Stewart a cameo–as Aaron, perhaps?