For those that thought Zack Snyder possibly taking on a remake of Seven Samurai set in the Star Wars universe would be the most shocking development of the day, we have another strong contender. In Hollywood, where recycled properties and reboots rule the land, perhaps we shouldn’t be so surprised, but this evening we’ve got news of a certified classic getting a new update.
According to Deadline, MGM is looking to spend some of their Skyfall and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey cash and they’ve turned to none other than Ben-Hur for tentpole treatment. Instead of taking a note from William Wyler‘s 1959 classic starring Charlton Heston, they’ve acquired a script from Keith Clarke (The Way Back), which is also based on Lew Wallace‘s 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale Of The Christ, but will take a different angle.
This will follow the conflict between Judah Ben-Hur (played by Heston in the original) and Messala (previously portrayed by Stephen Boyd), but it’s said to go way back when they were best friends as kids, leading up to when the latter betrays the former. We can still expect the iconic chariot races to return, but this one will also featuring a major sidestory, following Jesus Christ as he crosses paths with Ben-Hur and then is finally given the death sentence by Pontius Pilate.
With so many Hollywood projects diving into the religious territory, it’s interesting to see they’ve all got some major backing and talent behind them. We’ll have to wait and see which succeed, including Darren Aronofsky‘s Noah, Steven Spielberg‘s Moses film, the Brad Pitt Pontius Pilate project, and yes, even Nicolas Cage‘s Left Behind remake, but those interested in these Biblical epics will have a lot to look forward to. Check out a trailer of the classic Ben-Hur below as we await more details on the project.
Do you think a Ben-Hur remake could work?