Ben-Hur also stars Rodrigo Santoro (300: Rise of an Empire) as Jesus Christ, Sofia Black D’Elia (“Gossip Girl”) as Tirzah, Ayelet Zurer (Man of Steel) as Naomi, Moises Arias (Ender’s Game) as Gestas and Pilou Asbæk (Lucy) as Pontius Pilate.
“You could not have imagined a more perfect location to shoot this epic than Italy. We can’t wait to get started,” said Bekmambetov.
The film returns to the heart of Lew Wallace’s epic novel focusing on the nature of faith. The story follows a falsely accused nobleman who survives years of slavery to take vengeance on his best friend who betrayed him. Both must come to choose between retribution or forgiveness.
Behind the scenes, the creative team includes Director of Photography, Oliver Wood (The Bourne Identity), Production Designer, Naomi Shohan (American Beauty), Costume Designer, Varvava Avdyushko (Wanted), Visual Effects Supervisor, Academy Award Winner Jim Rygiel (The Lord of the Rings Franchise) and Special Effects Supervisor, Andy Williams (Fury).
MGM will handle production with Jonathan Glickman, President, Motion Picture Group and Matt Dines, Vice President, Production, overseeing the project on behalf of the studio. The film will be distributed worldwide theatrically and on home entertainment by Paramount Pictures, with select international territories as well as all television distribution to be handled by MGM.
