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.
