Hey guys! Horrorella here...
Biblical epics are poised to become all the rage over the next couple of years. We have Aronofsky's NOAH, Ridley Scott's EXODUS, a new telling of the Jesus story based on Anne Rice's Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, and now, a new adaptation of Ben-Hur.
Rumors have been circulating, but today, Deadline reportedly confirmed that MGM has selected Timur Bekmambetov (NIGHT WATCH, WANTED, ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER) to take the film into production. The script is being written by Keith Clarke (THE WAY BACK).
The story was first made wildly popular when Lew Wallace first published his novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ in 1880. It sold a gazillion copies and was later adapted for the screen in William Wyler's 1956 classic BEN-HUR, starring Charlton Heston.
No word on when the film is scheduled to start production, but I imagine they will try to get filming underway soon.
What do you guys think? What will a Timur Bekmambetov BEN-HUR look like? And can anyone fill Heston's shoes?
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