‘King David’ movie anointed at Warner Bros.

King David might want to get ready for his close-up.

Warner Bros. has commenced development of a film about the biblical king, which is to be based on Rabbi David Wolpe’s recent book “David: The Divided Heart,” The Times has confirmed. The Tracking Board first reported the news.

A humble shepherd who slayed a giant, united a nation, wrote poetry, was an ancestor to Jesus but also committed his share of sins, David is certainly an intriguing and enigmatic figure.

Wolpe, a rabbi at Los Angeles’ Sinai Temple who has written numerous books about religion, recently told Variety, “David is the most complex hero and antihero in the Bible,” adding, “I cannot imagine a more cinematic figure from the Bible.”

Nick Schoenfeld has been tapped to write the script for “King David,” which will be produced by Mike Karz and Bill Bindley, of Warner-based Gulfstream Pictures.

David has been the subject of several previous big-screen go-rounds, including Henry King’s 1951 “David and Bathsheba” and Bruce Beresford’s 1985 “King David.”

News of the “King David” project comes amid a recent boom in biblical-themed films, including this year’s “Noah” and “Son of God,” Ridley Scott’s upcoming “Exodus: Gods and Kings,” and Mark Burnett’s planned remake of “Ben-Hur.” These movies look to mine old-fashioned epic storytelling while appealing to a large contemporary faith-based audience.

Scott is also reportedly developing a rival David project with Twentieth Century Fox and Chernin Entertainment, his collaborators on “Exodus,” and filmmaker Tim Chey and his River Rain Productions have wrapped a “David and Goliath” movie due in April.

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