Following the announcement of a standalone Wonder Woman movie, Gal Gadot has also been revealed to be in the running for the female lead of the Ben-Hur remake. Gadot will play Esther in the movie. Since being cast as Wonder Woman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the actress has become highly sort after for a range of roles.
The new version of Ben-Hur is being directed by Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted) and is based upon the 1880 Lew Wallace novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of The Christ, with Keith Clarke (The Way Back) and John Ridley (12 Years a Slave) contibuting to the script. It will tell the story of Jewish prince Judah Ben-Hur and his blood fued with childhood friend Messala, a Roman who betrays Ben-Hur, resulting in him being sold into slavery and vowing revenge.
The film stars Jack Huston (Boardwalk Empire) as Ben-Hur with Morgan Freeman (The Dark Knight Rises) and Toby Kebbell (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) also featuring in the cast.
Ben-Hur is set for release on February 26th, 2016.
Originally published October 16, 2014. Updated April 11, 2018.
