this is "nightline." tonight, meet the men who say they're now protecting ferguson, missouri. the oath keepers, promoting a different type of justice. >> quiet tonight. >> but this is group really helping to keep the peace? plus, it's an epic null movie of one of the greatest stories ever told. moses parts the red sea. and actor christian bale pulls back the curtain on this biblical undertaking. >> have you felt it? >> and "star wars" secrets. the new teaser for "the force awakens" does exactly that. sending fans into a frenzy. but still, so many questions.

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make dinner pop. good evening. tonight, ferguson, missouri, still in a state of turmoil after a grand jury decision not to indict officer darren wilson

in the shooting death of michael brown. while police and citizens clash, a new self-appointed peace keeper is stepping up. a controversial group called the oath keepers says they're protecting ferguson from more looting and vandalism by taking the law into their own hands. abc's alex perez is there. >> reporter: when night falls on ferguson, missouri, sam andrews gets to work. >> if you would stay on this side of the ladder, because i don't want my muzzle to sweep you. >> reporter: dressed in full camouflage and armed with an assault rifle and handgun, andrews climbs to the roof of this dentist's office to begin his slightly surveillance. >> it's slick. >> reporter: andrews is a member of the oath keeper else, a group taking up armed to sixes eed p the name of protecting local businesses. >> awfully quiet tonight. >> reporter: why are you guys here? >> to defend the best part of america, the creative part.

the small businesses, the hardest working people in the united states of america. to defend them from arson. >> reporter: this was ferguson one week ago. chaos in the streets as vie lebt protests erupted in response to a grand jury's decision not to indict darren wilson, the officer who shot michael brown, an unarmed black teenager. at least 17 stores vandalized and burned to the ground. gnatley dubose is the owner of natalie's cakes and more. her store was broken into and looted. i spoke to her a few days after. >> i didn't have an extra savings or extra money to replace everything that was destroyed. >> reporter: her story caught the attention of sam andrews, who was watching the news at home, 40 miles away. andrews immediately came to ferguson and put out a call online for more volunteers like himself. please grab your gear and start

rolling toward ferguson. >> they've been here. i'm hearing them upstairs on the roof and i feel that much more secure. >> reporter: a lot of people drive by, they see a tall white guy holding a gun. how do you feel that may make some people feel? >> they were calling us the kkk, they were calling us the police. we're not the police. we love you all. we're here to defend your rights. >> reporter: while the unrest has died down since last week, andrews and his fellow volunteers said they will continue to protect the bake shop as well as this nearby dentist office. >> i don't know where they came from, but i just thank god they showed up. we wouldn't be standing here working today. we wouldn't have a building. >> reporter: which is why some are embracing the presence of these do it yourself patrolmen, as public mistrust in the police here continues to grow. the oath keepers was founded in march 2009 by this man, stewart rods. a yale educated attorney and

former army paratrooper. >> the rank and file out there, the people of this country, still have principles and are still willing to do what's right. >> reporter: with active chap chapters in all 50 states, they claim to have an estimated 40,000 members, which would make it one of the fastest growing far right organizations in the nation. what separates the oath keepers from other militia groups is they actively recruit men and women of the military and law enforcement. vowing to disobey, quote, unconstitutional orders from what they see as an increasingly tier ran call president and government. many, including the police, are uncomfortable with the oath keepers and their mission. >> the oath keepers are absolutely an extremist anti-government group. everything they say they stand for is based on this notion that the world and the government is going to become a dictatorship to try to prevent americans from having their freedoms. >> reporter: while the st. louis county police declined an

interview with abc news, they tell us they are investigating whether the oath keepers are breaking the law by providing security without a license. their arrival comes at a sensitive time for the police here, with ferguson in the national spotlight. >> what we need is a sustained conversation. >> reporter: president obama said monday night he will work to reduce what he views as a growing distrust between police and citizens. among the ways? purchasing body cameras to be worn by local police across the country. >> in the two years i have remaining as president, i'm going to make sure that we follow through. >> reporter: don't believe what the media says about us. >> reporter: but the oath keepers are not planning on leaving any time soon. >> we'll be here as long as it takes, you know, that's just the way it will be. >> reporter: andrews claims hundreds of volunteers of all races have passed through here, but they wish to remain anonymous. at any given time, how many volunteers are here? >> more than five and less than

500. we really don't give that number out. >> get back, now! >> reporter: ferguson is not the first time the oath keepers have made headlines. this past spring, after federal agents clashed with members of a nevada cattle ranching family over the removal of a herd from federally managed land. >> i just saw a federal agent throw my aunt on the ground. >> reporter: oath keepers and like-minded followers descended on the ranch to show their support. >> when you believe that you have to arm yourself in order to protect the people from the government and you're such a loosely organized group that anybody can join you, that's a combination that can potentially create violent incidents in the future. >> reporter: tonight, sam andrews is again taking up his post outside the dental office. standing watch in defiance of the st. louis county police. how far are you and your team willing to take the confrontation? >> well, less lethal for property.

that's the legal limit. we stick to the law. you know, whatever the law allows, gooel that far and try not to go even that far. >> reporter: refusing to give up their cause and bracing for another long, cold night. i'm alex perez in ferguson, missouri. next, christian bale tells us how "exodus" takes biblical times to epic proportions. and later on "nightline," some exclusive answers to your questions about "star wars: if force awakens."

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an oscar winning actor, makes and a whole lot of family drama. christian bale takes us inside "exodus." one of the most epic stories of all time. and as you're about to see, one that makes for some pretty epic movie material, too. here's abc's chris connelly. >> action! >> i came here to tell you that something's coming that i cannot control. >> who are you talking to? >> god. >> reporter: as played by 40-year-old christian bale in director ridley scott's "exodus," moses reshapes history as much as any mortal has. >> do not call the man above! he was so much more human than i ever imagined. he had all of the sort of temptations, indulgences he had grown up. follow me and you will be free. you know, absolutely seen as a freedom fighter. terrorists in terms of the

egyptian empire. >> reporter: moses has been an inspare rational icon for liberation movements throughout history. and as a central figure in three of the world's great religions. whether or not such a man walked these deserts, leading god's chosen people out of bondage and into freedom, the moses of the old testament is daunting as he challenges an empire, as god and himself. >> what happened to moses, if he arrived today? drones would be sent out after him, right? >> reporter: this movie captured that moses, the enemy of the state, after he's dispatched into exile, where he falls in love and starts a family. >> what's the most important thing in your life? >> you are. we should concentrate our strength in the center. >> you should concentrate yours in fighting. >> reporter: moses begins the film all but blood brothers with ramsey. besting him on the battlefield

until -- >> you know something's wrong. you always felt it. >> reporter: the revelation that he is a hebrew transforms his life. >> your parents never told you the truth. >> what truth? >> the year of your birth, there was a prophesy that our leader would be born to liberate us. that leader is you, moses. >> steve wrote this and what he is writing is a story of revolution. and that's a story that can resonate no matter what the time. >> i love creating universes or words. the baffling majesty of egypt. i thought, that's a real challenge. >> reporter: first challenge, getting a commitment from bale. an a-lister after "the dark knight." >> one day, i said to him, i want you to consider this idea of playing moses. >> it was such a ridiculous idea. >> this gigantic silence, i think he muttered something. >> like, some about instruct, like, different take on it or

just sandals and the beard moses? and he went, san ddals and the beard moses. i went, wow. get my head around that one. i didn't know anything about him except for that he was charlton heston. >> behold his mighty hand. >> reporter: "the ten commandments" was a four-hour epic with a confident moses, emboldened by god's power. >> things to come much worse. >> reporter: bale, a questioning and reluctant moses, based in part of his extensive readings in all three faiths. >> he wanted to try to get away from being god's messenger on earth. >> to say i read the old testament would be inaccurate. i didn't have to. christian read it three times. so, i used to hear it every day. what i didn't know and what we should be doing. >> moses and god arguing nonstop. god is disappointed. >> reporter: how those

conversations are depicted, using an 11--year-old actor, might be scott's boldest move. >> i cannot have rushing clouds and a voice coming from up there. i just don't buy that. and yet he must deal with some kind of messenger. >> i am the god. >> reporter: as egypt's self-proclaimed god, ramsey gets a more sympathetic portrayal. >> i'm not saying no. i'm saying time. >> i have this feeling like those people in great positions of power also harbor a great well being. >> to do a man that is all bad also is less interesting. ramseys adored his wife, loved his child. >> reporter: since the 20th century film's casting was announced, scott has been castigated for hiring white actors to play the two lead egyptians. in response, he noted the impossibility of financing a nine-figure epic would an

internationally bankable star such as ba and he points to his casting of a syrian actor in 2005's "kingdom of heaven. "as if to splash care seen on the embers, rupert murdoch weighed in. moses film aid tacked for all-white cast, he said. since when are egyptians not white? the firestorm led the mogul to soften his stance and tell everyone to calm down. how have you guys dealt with the issue of your casting? that two caucasian men are playing the lead roles in a story about people from the middle east? >> you look at the existing mummy of ram sooseys and he has hair. certain pharoahs had green eyes and light skin. we had conversations, this is

such an important story of revolution. >> i wouldn't bloody last in the december et fsert for 40 minutee 40 years. i would be one big blister. as would ridley. i very much liked what he said. wouldn't egypt be the melting pot of the middle east, europe and africa? i think any debate about that is healthy, you know. but please go see the film before you make judgment. >> reporter: with an eye towards plausibility, scott's crafted the plague. still, it's the transformation of the red sea that most amazes. >> you constantly have the goal of just part, you can't do that. now we know and we are particular with the brutal till of a tsunami and how fast it can drain. i figured it was logical. >> reporter: yet, for all, it's visual grandeur. the film rests on the shoulders of its moses. even if the oscar-winning bale never feels all that confident.

>> i wish i had a technique. i just wing it every time. when i arrive on the set, i'm looking, i'm going, i'm moses. all right. and i've got to go down there and convince everyone that it was worth building these sets, you know, for the performances that we're going to give. they watch me come here and do any job, how am i going to sell them on that? >> going to run away with the glory. it's going to be fine. >> reporter: i'm chris connelly for "nightline" in los angeles. >> "exodus" will be in theaters december 12th. next, the new trailer for "star wars: the force awakens" reveals less than a minute of footage from the upcoming film, and we've got exclusive answers to your bunning questions.

christmas came early for "star wars" fans with the new teaser for the upcoming installment. along with the excitement, questions. so many questions. now, abc's nick watt brings us some exclusive answers. >> there has been an awake ng. >> reporter: whose voice is that? >> have you felt it? >> reporter: and who is this guy? why is he sweating? the star of the next trillion jill? speculation surrounding around this 88-second brand new trailer all weekend. heated, intense. more than 50 million views online. new droids. the storm troopers are back.

so maybe luke did not destroy the empire after all who is sne and is she in love with him? possibly, says the internet. or about isaac plays a goody. check the rebel insignia. the x-wings are back. nice. at this theater in austin, texas, they played the trailer over and over, dissecting it like a shakespeare text. >> dark side. >> when he pulls his hand out to the right, it looks different than his left hand. so if you wonder if it's not adam driver, if that's supposed to be luke. >> reporter: i counted. there are only 39 seconds of actual footage from the movie. brought to you by our parent company, walt disney. lots of dramatic black holes and just those 15 words of mystery voice over. >> and the light. >> who could that voice be? >> i'm trying to decide if that sydow in it or not.

>> reporter: wrong. according to the internet, benedict cumberbatch or andy circus. andy circus it is. he was gollum in "lord of the rings,". >> it was me. >> reporter: let's look at the famous cast read-through photo again. joy boyega, check. oscar isaac, check. who's the baddy? adam driver? under that cloak in the trailer? we know luke, leia and han solo are back, but we do not see them in this trailer. but we see han's spaceship, the millennium fall come is back. hooray. and here is one more exclusive. the sound at the very end, when the screen goes black -- that's the sound of luke's lightsaber from the first film from 1977. >> and i'll return, i promise. >> reporter: i'm nick watt for "nightline" in los angeles.

>> i mean, who isn't a "star wars" fan. thanks for waftching abc news. as always, we're online at abcnews.com. good night. and the doctor saw a i weblemish on my cheek.ter, he told me it was skin cancer. i was in shock. i wasn't covered with any health insurance. but once i got covered through covered california, i was able to go get the surgery that i needed. and it was a lifesaver.

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