Yep, there’s a new "Ben-Hur" in town. Russian director Timur Bekmambetov ("Wanted," "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter") is putting his hands on the swords and sandals, and now we have our first taste of what his epic tale looks like.
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Jack Huston takes the titular role with Nazanin Boniadi (Esther), Rodrigo Santoro (Jesus), Pilou Asbaek (Pontius Pilate) and Morgan Freeman (Ilderim) joining him in the film that takes Lew Wallace‘s 1880 biblical epic, and the Academy Award-winning 1959 movie, and turns it into a summer blockbuster. But those involved are hoping the ancient story will have some contemporary resonance.
“There’s something really beautiful about it, especially in the current climate of the world, about different religions and people being at odds against each other,” Huston told USA Today. “How do we find our way out of this, how do we forgive, how do we forget, how do we move on, how should we treat our fellow human?”
"Ben-Hur" opens on August 12th. Watch below.