You might remember Jack Huston as the masked war-scarred assassin Richard Harrow on HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, but something tells me in a few years you’re going to know him for a lot more. MGM and Paramount have settled on Huston for the title role of Ben-Hur for director Timur Bekmambetov’s (WANTED) upcoming remake. Tom Hiddleston was eyed for the role at one point so it’s unclear if he’s out of the movie completely or will appear in another role. We also know that Morgan Freeman will play the role of Ildarin, the man who teaches the slave Ben-Hur to become a champion-caliber chariot racer. Huston's name is all over the place these days as he could also be in the running for the role of DOCTOR STRANGE, something we were all happy to hear about it seems.
This version of Ben-Hur plays up the parallel storyline of Jesus Christ, but the main drama is the blood feud between Judah Ben-Hur and Messala, who grew up best friends before the Roman Empire took control of Jerusalem. Judah Ben-Hur was a Jewish prince and Messala the son of a Roman tax collector. After the latter leaves to be educated in Rome for five years, the young man returns with a different attitude and mocks Judah and his religion. When a procession passes by Judah’s house and a roof tile accidentally falls and hits the governor, Messala betrays his childhood friend and manipulates the accident so that Judah is sold into slavery and certain death on a Roman warship, with his mother and sister thrown in prison for life. Judah vows revenge, culminating in the famed chariot races.
Deadline reports that it looked like Huston might have played Messala, Ben-Hur’s former close friend turned bitter rival as he read for that role. It was Bekmambetov who decided he would rather have Huston’s sympathetic manner and grit for the role that brought a Best Actor Academy Award to Charlton Heston in the 1959. This is a huge role for Huston who until now hasn’t has his own starring vehicle; he’s been great in every supporting role I’ve seen him in that’s for sure.
Would you have rather had Hiddleston for the role or are you happy about Jack Huston’s casting?
BEN-HUR is currently slated for a February 26, 2016 release.
What does a guy have to do to get a Richard Harrow movie around here?