Recently it was announced that BOARDWALK EMPIRE alum Jack Huston would be playing the iconic, titular role once occupied by Charlton Heston in BEN-HUR. The remake of the 1959 William Wyler epic will be directed by Timur Bekmambetov (WANTED, ABRAHAM LINCOLN VAMPIRE HUNTER). Huston is certainly no stranger to period dramas, having been in 2008’s OUTLANDER and 2013’s AMERICAN HUSTLE.
Joining him is English actor Toby Kebbell, who has kept quite busy with roles in DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES and WARCRAFT. Kebbell just recently finished filming THE FANTASTIC FOUR reboot, where he plays the villainous Doctor Doom. In BEN-HUR, Kebbell will take on the role of Messala, played by Stephen Boyd in the original film.
BEN-HUR’s screenplay is written by documentary filmmaker Keith R. Clarke and 12 YEARS A SLAVE scribe John Ridley. The story is based on the novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace, centered on a Jewish prince betrayed by his best friend and sentenced to slavery.
The film will be released on February 26, 2016.