We interview Jack Huston, Toby Kebbell, Mark Burnett and more for Ben-Hur!

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

It's a pretty huge task to take on the 1959 classic BEN-HUR starring Chalton Heston, directed by the legendary William Wyler. Yet producers Mark Burnett and Roma Downey are bringing us a massive reteling – one that is based heavily on the 1880 book "Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ" by Lew Wallace. While both features were adapted from the novel, the latest feature is less about vengence, and more about unity and peace. And considering the director of the new film is Timur Bekmambetov, it's likely you'll be impressed by some of the intense set-pieces.

Recently, we attended the junket for BEN-HUR, and I'm happy to report that all the talent involved had some interesting things to say about taking on this particular project. We spoke to both of the film's stars, Toby Kebbell and Jack Huston, both of whom discussed playing such iconic characters. And even more surprising, the two found themselves at the mercy of a real life chariot with four horses ready to race.

Mark Burnett and Roma Downey chimed in about taking on such a colossal story and recreating the iconic chariot race and galley sequence. They were both incredibly kind and clearly thrilled about the epic nature of the new film. We also spoke with Rodrigo Santoro who plays a fairly important role in this universe – you know, Jesus – and the beautiful and talented Nazanin Boniadi is terrific as Esther, wife to Ben-Hur. One of my favorites to chat with was the exceptional Pilou Asbæk, who portrays Pontius Pilate. His story about meeting producers for the first time is pretty hilarious.

If you are looking for a modern day epic with a spirtual slant, check out BEN-HUR this Friday at a theatre near you.