LATEST NEWS
Tom Hiddleston Grabbing Sword & Sandals for 'Ben-Hur' Remake?
by Ethan Anderton
August 12, 2014
Source: Deadline
After creating chaos in Asgard and on Earth in the Thor franchise and The Avengers, it sounds like British actor Tom Hiddleston might venture into more traditional epic territory. Deadline has word that MGM and Paramount Pictures are courting the man who made Loki one of the most revered villains of the past decade to take the lead role in their remake of the classic Ben-Hur, or rather, the new adaptation of the 1880 Lew Wallace novel Ben-Hur: A Tale Of The Christ, directed by Timur Bekmambetov of Wanted. However, this isn't yet anywhere near being a done deal since he's considering other projects. More below!
One other project that Hiddleston has on his potential future plate is Me Before You, an adaptation of the Jojo Moyes best-selling novel that is also set up at MGM. That film focuses on a small-town girl caught between dead-end jobs, and Will (the role meant for Hiddleston), a success all his life who finds himself wheelchair-bound after an accident. He finds no reason to live until they meet when he hires her as his caretaker for six months, and she becomes determined to prove to him life is worth living as they set off on adventures together. With a script from the author herself, rewritten by (500) Days Of Summer scribes Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber, it's easy to see why that's appealing.
However, Ben-Hur has the potential to turn Hiddleston into a true leading man outside of the Marvel universe. The script comes from Keith Clarke who wrote it on spec with a story of Jewish prince Judah Ben-Hur and Messala, the son of a Roman tax collector, who grew up best friends before the Roman Empire rose to power and apparently it's more faithful to the book than the classic film as it also ties in with the tale of Jesus Christ, with whom Ben-Hur has several encounters which moves him to become a believer in the Messiah, and which culminates in Christ being sentenced to death. Both stories obviously have their own kind of appeal, but we'll have to wait and see what Hiddlseton decides to do.
10 Comments
2
What is the pic from?
Xerxexx on Aug 12, 2014
3
THE HOLLOW CROWN, I think. It was a BBC Films production.
DAVIDPD on Aug 12, 2014
4
Another look.
Guest on Aug 12, 2014
5
Sometimes I hate DisqUs...
DAVIDPD on Aug 12, 2014
6
Word.
Xerxexx on Aug 12, 2014
7
Many thanks.
Xerxexx on Aug 12, 2014
8
Perfect for Hiddleston. He has the perfect face and style for BEN HUR!
DAVIDPD on Aug 12, 2014
9
I would love it. Damn he would be great in the role.
Dee on Aug 12, 2014
10
when I was a young boy ben hur made a big impression on me and is still one of my favorites ever. I would like to see it with better visual effects although the chariot ride in the arena is still one of the best action sequences ever!
Avi on Aug 13, 2014
New comments are no longer allowed on this post.
FEATURED POSTS
FOLLOW FS HERE
Follow Alex's main account on Twitter:
Add our posts to your Feedly › click here
Get all the news sent on Telegram 
LATEST TO WATCH