Ben-Hur is a 2016 epic historical drama film directed by Timur Bekmambetov, and written by Keith Clarke and John Ridley. It is the fifth film adaptation of the 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace and the third version produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It has been termed a "re-adaptation", "reimagining", and "new interpretation" of the novel, and follows Judah Ben-Hur, a young prince who is falsely accused by his step-brother, an officer of the Roman army, and is sent to slavery, only to escape and seek vengeance. The film stars Jack Huston as the titular character, alongside Toby Kebbell, Rodrigo Santoro, Nazanin Boniadi, Ayelet Zurer, and Morgan Freeman. It was filmed in Matera, Italy, from February to June 2015.
Ben-Hur premiered on August 9, 2016, in Mexico City and was theatrically released by Paramount Pictures on August 19, 2016, in the United States. It received generally negative reviews from critics and underperformed at the box office, grossing $94 million worldwide against its $100 million production budget plus a large amount spent on marketing and distribution.
Plot Jewish prince Judah Ben-Hur and his adopted Roman brother Messala are best friends despite their different origins. After Messala's interest in Judah's sister Tirzah is rebuffed by her mother, he enlists in the Roman army. Ben-Hur marries his slave Esther after Messala leaves.
Three years later, Messala returns as a decorated Roman officer. His return coincides with a rising insurrection by the Zealots, Jews opposed to Roman rule. Ben-Hur begrudgingly treats and shelters a young Zealot named Dismas and attempts to dissuade him from the cause. Messala reunites with Ben-Hur and attempts to convince him to serve as an informant - the new governor Pontius Pilate is coming to Jerusalem and Messala does not want any revolt. Judah claims he will talk to the locals.
During Pilate's march, Dismas attempts to assassinate Pilate from Ben-Hur's balcony. The Romans storm Ben-Hur's household and arrest him and his family. Rather than betray Dismas, Ben-Hur takes responsibility for the assassination attempt and his mother and sister are sentenced to crucifixion. While being led to the prison galley, Ben-Hur encounters Jesus, who gives him water. Ben-Hur then endures five years of slavery as a rower aboard a Roman prison galley.
During a battle against Greek rebels in the Ionian Sea, Ben-Hur's galley is destroyed. Ben-Hur frees himself and is washed ashore on a ship mast. He is found by Sheik Ilderim, who recognizes him as an escaped slave. Ben-Hur convinces Ilderim not to hand him over to the Romans by treating one of Ilderim's racing horses. After Ben-Hur develops a bond with the four racing horses, an appreciative Ilderim then trains Ben-Hur to be a chariot racer.
Ben-Hur and Ilderim travel to Jerusalem to take part in a chariot race. Jesus' preaching ministry draws the attention of governor Pilate and Messala, who is now the commander of the Roman garrison and a champion chariot racer. In Jerusalem, Ben-Hur encounters Esther, who is now a follower of Jesus and involved in charity work. Despite their reunion, the two are kept emotionally apart due to her new cause, which contradicts his intention of seeking revenge against Messala.
Ben-Hur confronts Messala alone in their former home but is forced to flee when Roman soldiers turn up. After the Romans execute twenty Jews in reprisal, Esther completely falls out with Ben-Hur. Just before the race, Ben-Hur encounters a former Roman soldier named Druses, who informs him that his mother Naomi and sister Tirzah are still alive. However, their reunion is soured when Ben-Hur discovers his mother and sister have leprosy, and Ben-Hur is enraged at their condition.
Ilderim convinces Pilate to allow Ben-Hur to compete by proposing a high wager against Messala. Esther tries to convince Messala not to race Ben-Hur, but he is confident in his victory. On the day of the race, Ben-Hur follows Ilderim's instructions to hold back until the final laps. Using underhanded tactics, Messala knocks out other charioteers. After Messala attempts to destroy Ben-Hur's chariot, their chariots become tangled together. When Messala tries to kick Ben-Hur from his chariot, his chariot breaks loose and he is trampled. Ben-Hur wins, the Jewish spectators begin attacking the Romans and Ben-Hur is carried away.
Despite his victory, Ben-Hur is despondent about his family and Messala's fate. Esther is with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane; later she and Ben-Hur witness Jesus bearing the cross. Mirroring a previous encounter with Jesus, Ben-Hur tries to offer Jesus water but is beaten by a Roman soldier. Esther and Judah witness Jesus' death on the cross, Naomi and Tirzah are miraculously healed and Ilderim pays a ransom to set them free. Ben-Hur seeks out an injured Messala who initially swears to continue hunting Ben-Hur. After experiencing Ben-Hur's kindness and forgiveness, Messala relents and they reconcile. Ben-Hur and Messala return to his family who all leave Jerusalem with Ilderim.
Cast
Jack Huston as Judah Ben-Hur: A Jewish prince in Roman-occupied Jerusalem who is betrayed and falsely accused of treason, and is sentenced to a life of slavery. Ben-Hur loses everything and spends five years in the galley of a Roman slave ship. He later takes on the Roman Empire and his adoptive brother, in a grand chariot race, while finding redemption and being forever changed after a series of encounters with Jesus Christ. Charlton Heston's daughter-in-law is a friend of Huston's family, and he met Charlton a few times before he died. "I remember being very struck by the film when I was younger," Huston has said. The leper scene, especially, stuck in his mind. He re-watched the 1959 film prepping for this version. He was initially offered the role of Messala, but director Bekmambetov decided instead he had the sympathetic manner and grit to play the title role. Bekmambetov found Huston to be an actor who not only was a "well-built, experienced horseman" but one who "felt like he was born in that era." He said, "I wouldn't be surprised if some of Jack's many famous ancestors took part in an actual fight between Romans and Judaeans we depict in our film." Tom Hiddleston was originally considered for the role. Huston was well aware of the comparisons being made between him and Heston, saying: "Of course there are going to be haters, that's par for the course when you're retelling such an infamous tale. It's like Kenneth Branagh going to do Romeo and Juliet again for, like, the 50th time. [But] I think one of the greatest compliments one could ever be giving to [author] Lew Wallace is that we're still reimagining his work more than 120 years later, because it's so powerful." Toby Kebbell as Messala: An officer in the Roman army, and Ben-Hur's childhood friend and adoptive brother, who betrays him. Morgan Freeman as Sheik Ilderim: A wealthy Nubian sheik who trains Ben-Hur to become a charioteer to take revenge on his brother, Messala. Unlike Wyler's version, who was a secondary character, and an essentially comic one, there is no humor in this version. Moreover, Ilderim "has quite a bit of power in the story. And I like playing power. It's something about my own personal ego", Freeman said. Freeman is part of the international cast in the film. Producer Daniel spoke about that, saying: "the movie business was never as global as it is today, so it makes sense from a creative and commercial point of view to do this movie for the whole world." Nazanin Boniadi as Esther: A Jewish slave and the wife of Ben-Hur. Boniadi was very pleased by the fact that the women's roles in the film were expanded, unlike the previous versions. She described her character as "very strong-willed and independent", which to her was very refreshing, given the era that this film is set in. She added, "compared to the 1959 film, Esther definitely has more of a presence, she's definitely a stronger woman and a stronger character". Rodrigo Santoro as Jesus: Unlike the original film, Christ has a prominent role in this version. Paramount Pictures' vice chairman Rob Moore stated that Christ in this version "is going to be consistent with people's expectations," and that the "expectations of the faithful will be honored by this one." Paramount sought to avoid the sort of backlash received by Darren Aronofsky's Noah, where some Christians were dismayed by the film's inventive interpretation of the Bible. Santoro said it was the most challenging role he had ever taken on. He received personal blessings from Pope Francis for his role as Christ. Sofia Black-D'Elia as Tirzah: Ben-Hur's sister. Ayelet Zurer as Naomi: Ben-Hur's mother. Haluk Bilginer as Simonides: A loyal Jewish servant to Ithamar, Judah's birth father; becomes a wealthy merchant in Antioch. Moisés Arias as Dismas: A teenage Jewish zealot whose family has been murdered by the Romans and is desperate to fight for his people's freedom; he is later crucified beside Jesus. Pilou Asbæk as Pontius Pilate: The Roman governor of Judea who oversees the chariot race. Marwan Kenzari as Druses: A Roman captain who is involved with the betrayal by Messala that sends Ben-Hur on his path to redemption. James Cosmo as Quintus Arius The Roman admiral of the trireme that Ben-Hur was enslaved on as a rower.
Production
Development
In 2013, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer acquired Keith R. Clarke's script, an adaptation of Lew Wallace's 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, which is in the public domain.
In April 2014, Paramount Pictures and MGM announced that they would co-produce a new version of Ben-Hur, based on the novel, with Mark Burnett and Roma Downey serving as producer and executive producer, respectively. MGM had previously released two films based on the book, the 1925 silent film and the more famous 1959 film of same name. The rights to the latter film were sold to Ted Turner in the 1980s. MGM had just emerged from bankruptcy due to the global success of the twenty-third James Bond film, Skyfall, and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which both went to gross over $1 billion at the box office worldwide, including above $300 million in the United States and Canada, while Paramount were doing well at the time with the biblical tale Noah. John Ridley (12 Years a Slave) was hired to revise the script, with Sean Daniel, Burnett and Joni Levin attached to produce, and Downey, Clarke, and Jason Brown executive producing. Duncan Henderson was later attached to produce, with John Ridley also executive producing. It was announced that the new film would differ from the 1959 version, and deal with the formative relationships of Ben-Hur and Messala growing up as best friends, before the Roman Empire took control of Jerusalem, and that Jesus would have a prominent role.