It’s not so much that another version of “Ben-Hur” is a crime against cinema — Lew Wallace‘s book inspired a couple of silent film versions, the 1959 classic, and a more recent TV miniseries — it’s more that there doesn’t really seem to be much necessity for another movie. But there is no idea in Hollywood that isn’t cooked over a few different ways, so this August you can get your Jesus and sword-and-sandal fix rolled into one with Paramount‘s “Ben-Hur.”
Jack Huston, Toby Kebbell, Morgan Freeman, Rodrigo Santoro, Nazanin Boniadi, Ayelet Zurer, and Sofia Black D’Elia star in the movie, whose latest promo tries desperately to sell itself to three different audiences: the faith based crowd, action film fans, and the mainstream, with the latter being wooed by some woefully (and woeful) out of place contemporary music by For King & Country. Here’s the official synopsis:
BEN-HUR is the epic story of Judah Ben-Hur (Jack Huston), a prince falsely accused of treason by his adopted brother Messala (Toby Kebbell), an officer in the Roman army. Stripped of his title, separated from his family and the woman he loves (Nazanin Boniadi), Judah is forced into slavery. After years at sea, Judah returns to his homeland to seek revenge, but finds redemption. Based on Lew Wallace’s timeless novel, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ.
“Ben-Hur” opens on August 19th. Check out the trailer and a couple of featurettes below.