It seems like it was ages ago that director Darren Aronofsky was relying on large physical sets, seeing how wholeheartedly he has embraced generative artificial intelligence. Aronofsky broke out on the indie scene and reached the pinnacle of his career with the Oscar-winning psychological thriller Black Swan, which was released in 2010 to blockbuster success and critical acclaim. The movie earned him the figurative blank check Hollywood gives to directors who make money for the industry.

Aronofsky cashed in his cachet with a large-scale biblical epic, the sort of movie that Hollywood had been reluctant to make at such a scale. Interestingly, Aronofsky's movie was released in the same year as Ridley Scott's Exodus: Gods and Kings, which bombed with critics and audiences alike.