Industry site Deadline is reporting that Timur Bekmambetov, he of the acclaimed Russian sci-fi epic Nightwatch, the adaptation of Mark Millar's Wanted and 2012's Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter has been officially hired to direct a new version of the classic Ben Hur.
Though people consider the multi-Oscar-winning (count 'em... ELEVEN!) Charlton Heston epic to be a benchmark of early epic cinema, the film was actually based on the 1880 Lew Wallace book Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ and it looks as if the film may go back to the source material for its story. Deadline also notes that the original book was - at the time of its printing - the second most sold book, behind only the Bible itself.
The film is one of several Biblical-themed films being readied for the screen. Darren Aronofsky's Noah provides a major 'story-ark' for Russell Crowe in the title role, Twentieth Century Fox are converting their recent 'The Bible' mini-series into a more concise theatrical release called 'Son of God' and no less than Ridley Scott is helming Exodus, due to walk out at the end of 2014.
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