Just a few weeks ago we reported that Gal Gadot had been cast as the female lead in the remake of Ben-Hur. However that is no longer the case. Because of her prior commitments to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in which she plays Wonder Woman, Gadot no longer has time to star in the biblical epic due to the filming schedules clashing. She had been to play Esther, Judah Ben-Hur’s fellow slave and love interest.
The new version of Ben-Hur is being directed by Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted) and is said to be based upon the 1880 Lew Wallace novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of The Christ. Keith Clarke (The Way Back) and John Ridley (12 Years a Slave) have both contributed to the script for the film, which will tell the story of Ben-Hur and his quest for revenge against former childhood friend Messala, a Roman who betrayed him, leading to the Jewish prince being sold into slavery.
Ben-Hur is set to go into production next year for a February 2016 release and stars Jack Huston (Boardwalk Empire) as the title character along with Toby Kebbell (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) and Morgan Freeman (Now You See Me).
Originally published November 1, 2014. Updated April 13, 2018.
