MGM to Take on Keith Clarke's Reworked BEN-HUR

According to Deadline.com, MGM is planning to develop a new version of Ben-Hur, based on Lew Wallace's 1880 novel "Ben-Hur: A Tale Of The Christ".

"It's one of the great stories of friendship and betrayal, and faith, that works in the context of a big onscreen action thriller for a global audience," Sean Daniel said about the book.

Read the original report here.

The project involves spec writer KeitH Clarke (The Way Back), with producers Sean Daniel, Joni Levin and Jason Brown, as well as Clarke.

Ben-Hur is familiar to MGM, which released the 1959 film starring Charlton Heston and the 1925 silent movie Ben-Hur: A Tale Of The Christ.

This new film will more closely follow the book and tells the story of the changing friendship between Jewish prince Judah Ben-Hur and a Roman tax collector's son Messala. In a new move, Clarke's spec plans to interweave the parallel story of Jesus Christ.

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