Do we really need a remake of one of cinema’s all-time great epics, Ben-Hur? MGM still thinks so and is reportedly talking with Wanted director Timur Bekmambetov to direct.
The news was first reported yesterday by Deadline, which confirmed that the studio and Bekmambetov were negotiating. However, Deadline notes that the negotiations could still break down.
TheWrap also confirmed the news and noted that MGM and Bekmambetov offered no comment.
MGM’s remake of the classic 1959 Best Picture winner got started in January when MGM was high on the success of Skyfall and The Hobbit, two films that helped bring the studio out of bankruptcy. It is being written by Keith Clarke (The Way Back) and Sean Daniel and Joni Levin are producing. Executive producers are Jason Brown and Clarke.
Bekmambetov is best known for directing blockbusters in Russia, as well as the 2008 Angelina Jolie film Wanted. But his last film, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, was a flop, grossing just $37.5 million in North America.
Ben-Hur is based on Lew Wallace’s 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of Christ, which was first turned into a film in 1925. William Wyler directed Charlton Heston to an Oscar winning performance in the 1959 film, which won a total of 11 Oscars. While these films were made by MGM, they are owned by Ted Turner now. Wallace’s novel is in the public domain.
image: Amazon