New on DVD and Blu-ray: December 13, 2016

The new DVD and Blu-ray releases for the week of December 13th include the DC Comics adaptation "Suicide Squad", the romantic comedy "Bridget Jones's Baby", Tim Burton's "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children", the Meryl Streep fact-based comedy "Florence Foster Jenkins", and the epic 2016 box-office bomb "Ben-Hur".

The new TV shows on DVD and Blu-ray this week include the second season of "Fear the Walking Dead", the miniseries "Harley and the Davidsons", and the first seasons of "Versailles" and "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency".

Check out all the new movies and TV shows released on DVD and Blu-ray after the jump.

BEN-HUR - SONGS INSPIRED BY THE EPIC FILM Soundtrack (Various Artists)

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Composer
Various Artists

Total Time:
51:07

Label:
Word Entertainment

Format:
CD, MP3, iTunes

Release Date
August 19, 2016

Order links, audio samples
and track list after the jump.

Weekend Box-Office: SUICIDE SQUAD #1 Threepeat, While BEN-HUR Flops

For a third consecutive weekend "Suicide Squad" holds its #1 position while newcomers "Ben-Hur", "War Dogs" and "Kubo and the Two Strings" proved to be weak contenders. 

Find out more about the weekend box office after the jump.

In Theaters: WAR DOGS, BEN-HUR, KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS, IMPERIUM

This week in theaters, it's all about fun at the movies. We have Todd Phillips R-rated dramedy inspired by an absurd true story, an epic remake of "Ben-Hur", and LAIKA's new animated feature "Kubo and the Two Strings". In limited release, come meet Daniel Radcliffe as a skinheaded undercover FBI agent in "Imperium". More about each movie after the jump.

Synopses, details, critical reception, trailers, clips and more after the jump.

BEN-HUR (2016) - New Clips and 18 Pictures

The new "Ben-Hur" adaptation from Paramount Pictures and director Timur Bekmambetov ("Wanted") opens in theaters tomorrow, and the studio has released two new clips and 18 hi-res pictures. The film stars Jack Huston, Toby Kebbell, Nazanin Boniadi, Morgan Freeman, Rodrigo Santoro, Ayelet Zurer and Sofia Black D'Elia.

Check out the clips and images after the jump.

BEN-HUR Soundtrack (Marco Beltrami)

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Composer
Marco Beltrami

Total Time:
66:31

Label:
Sony Classical

Format:
CD, MP3, iTunes

Release Date
August 5, 2016

Order links, audio samples
and track list after the jump.

BEN-HUR (2016) - 2 Featurettes and 11 Posters

Paramount Pictures and director Timur Bekmambetov ("Wanted", "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter") present "Ben-Hur", a new epic adaptation of Lew Wallace's classic novel. The film stars Jack Huston, Toby Kebbell, Nazanin Boniadi, Morgan Freeman, Rodrigo Santoro, Ayelet Zurer and Sofia Black D'Elia.

"Ben-Hur" opens in theaters on August 19th.

Check out the featurettes and posters after the jump.

BEN-HUR (2016) - New Trailer, Featurette and Poster

A new trailer, featurette and poster for the new "Ben-Hur" adaptation have been released online. The behind-the-scenes video offers a look at the film's most important set piece, the chariot race.

The new version of Lew Wallace's classic novel is directed by Timur Bekmambetov ("Wanted", "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter") and it stars Jack Huston, Toby Kebbell, Nazanin Boniadi, Morgan Freeman, Rodrigo Santoro, Ayelet Zurer and Sofia Black D'Elia.

"Ben-Hur" opens in theaters on August 19th.

Check out the trailer, featurette and poster after the jump.

BEN-HUR (2016) Trailer, Images and Poster

MGM and Paramount Pictures have released the first trailer, images and poster for their upcoming epic "Ben-Hur".

Although many consider this new film to be a remake, it's actually a new adaptation of Lew Wallace's classic novel. Directed by Timur Bekmambetov ("Wanted", "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter"), the film stars Jack Huston as Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish nobleman wrongly accused of treason by his brother Messala (Toby Kebbell) who is stripped of his title, separated from his family and the woman he loves (Nazanin Boniadi), and forced into slavery. The cast also includes Morgan Freeman, Rodrigo Santoro, Ayelet Zurer and Sofia Black D'Elia.

"Ben-Hur" opens in theaters on August 12th.

Check out the trailer, images and poster after the jump.

Morgan Freeman and John Huston Join BEN-HUR Remake

As previously reported, "The Bible" producers Mark Burnett and Roma Downey are working on a "Ben-Hur" remake for MGM and Paramount which will be directed by Timur Bekmambetov ("Wanted"). The new version is said to be more faithful to Lew Wallace's novel than the 1959 classic, and more focused on the Biblical aspects of the story. Now, we have the first casting reports for this project. Morgan Freeman ("The Dark Knight") has signed on to star as Ildarin, the man who teaches the slave Ben-Hur to become a champion-caliber chariot racer. Also, John Huston ("Boardwalk Empire") is set to star as the titular Judah Ben-Hur. Production will begin in Europe early next year and the film is scheduled for release on February 26, 2016.

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BEN-HUR Remake Release Date Announced

MGM and Paramount Pictures are working on a "Ben-Hur" remake and the studios have announced today the official release date for the project: February 26, 2016. The announcement came via an official press release which you can read after the jump, and in that press release, the studios also unveiled the creative powers that will be hard at work to bring this project to fruition. The film will be produced by Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, the same team behind the popular TV miniseries "The Bible" and its big screen spin-off "Son of God", and it will be directed by Timur Bekmambetov ("Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter", "Wanted"). Bekmambetov seems like an odd choice for the project, but he is a very strong visual director, so at least I can hope that the remake will look amazing.

Lew Wallace's novel "Ben-Hur: A Tale Of The Christ" is the story of "a falsely accused nobleman who survives years of slavery to take vengeance on his best friend who betrayed him. Both must come to choose between retribution or forgiveness." The story follows the life of Judah Ben Hur in parallel to that of Jesus Christ, so the choice of producers confirms initial reports that the remake will be a more faith-driven film than the original 1959 adaptation. For those unfamiliar with the 1959 film, it was directed by William Wyler, it starred Charlton Heston and won 11 Academy Awards, a record that went unchallanged until it was matched by "Titanic" in 1998 and "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" in 2004.

For more information, read the full press release after the jump.