Whoa: Some Hollywood folk have real balls!
You’ve heard the saying “bigger than Ben-Hur”, well imagine LITERALLY trying to be bigger…as in attempting a remake of the 1959 movie BEN-HUR.
MGM and Paramount Pictures will be tackling this epic project, the second film adaptation of the 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of Christ by Lew Wallace.
In a flurry of organisation, the studio has announced their release date (Feburary 26, 2016) as well as their new producers; THE BIBLE and SON OF GOD producers Mark Burnett and Roma Downey.
These appointments suggest a more faith-driven version of the story – a presumption the studio is happy to confirm.
MGM Chairman and Chief Executive Office of Paramount Pictures Gary Barber states:
“We are thrilled to have Mark and Roma join the production team to bring such an indelible classic story to the big screen. Their unrivaled passion, creativity and success in the faith based content space, will be a huge asset to the film and we look forward to working together.”
Directed by Timur Bekmambetov (WANTED, ABRAHAM LINCOLN:VAMPIRE HUNTER) this new flick claims to be more faithful to the book, focussing on the nature of faith as it follows a falsely accused nobleman who sets out to take vengeance on the best friend who betrayed him.
It is also said the film will feature the parallel story of Jesus Christ in addition to the Judah Ben-Hur story.
It’s a big task remaking such a classic, it’ll be interesting to see how they manage. Watch this space for more info as it develops!
