Paramount Pictures and MGM have unveiled a new Ben-Hur trailer for Wanted director Timur Bekmambetov’s adaptation of the Lew Wallace novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. The book was famously adapted in 1959 by director William Wyler with Charlton Heston in the starring role, but this “new adaptation” brings back in more of the Biblical aspects of Wallace’s novel, telling the story of the titular prince parallel to the story of Jesus Christ.

Boardwalk Empire actor Jack Huston fills the title role of Judah Ben-Hur, a prince who is falsely accused of treason by his adopted brother Messala (Toby Kebbell) and is subsequently stripped of his title and ostracized. He slowly makes his way back to his homeland to seek revenge, resulting in an explosive clash between Judah and Messala. At the same time, Rodrigo Santoro fills the role of Jesus Christ, and while we haven’t seen much of how the Biblical story will be threaded into Ben-Hur, the film boasts The Bible producer Mark Burnett as one of its producers, and could very well mark a major crossover between the faith-based market and major Hollywood blockbusters.


This new trailer is heavy on Biblical times action, with shades of 300 scattered throughout. Bekmambetov has a knack for visualizing set pieces in interesting ways, but his storytelling in films like Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter leave something to be desired.

Check out the new Ben-Hur trailer below. The film also stars Morgan Freeman and opens in theaters on August 19th.

Here’s the official synopsis for Ben-Hur:

BEN-HUR is the epic story of Judah Ben-Hur (Jack Huston), a prince falsely accused of treason by his adopted brother Messala (Toby Kebbell), an officer in the Roman army. Stripped of his title, separated from his family and the woman he loves (Nazanin Boniadi), Judah is forced into slavery. After years at sea, Judah returns to his homeland to seek revenge, but finds redemption. Based on Lew Wallace’s timeless novel, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. Also starring Morgan Freeman and Rodrigo Santoro.

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Image via Paramount and MGM

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Image via Paramount and MGM
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Image via Paramount and MGM
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Image via Paramount and MGM
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Image via Paramount and MGM