After nearly folding due to bankruptcy just a few years ago, MGM Studios is back and better than ever, after the success of Skyfall and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. The studio is gearing up to take on what may be their most ambitious project yet, a remake of the 1959 classic Ben-Hur.
The studio has acquired a spec screenplay by Keith R. Clarke (The Way Back), which is much more faithful to the 1880 novel by Lew Wallace. While director William Wyler's Ben-Hur focused on the feud between Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston) and Messalla (Stephen Boyd), this film will explore the characters' formative years, growing up as best friends before the Roman Empire conquered Jerusalem.
This script also features Jesus Christ who encounters Ben-Hur and whose tale is told in parallel to the title character. Ben-Hur begins to believe that Christ is the Messiah, before the saviour is killed by Pontius Pilate.
Sean Daniel and Joni Levin are attached to produce. No production schedule has been released.
Ben-Hur was released in the US on November 18 1959 and in Australia on 5 May 1960 starring Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins, Haya Harareet, Stephen Boyd, Hugh Griffith, Martha Scott, Cathy O'Donnell, Sam Jaffe. The film was directed by William Wyler and won 11 Oscars.
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