Apparently Toby Kebbell is the go-to actor right now for villain roles. Kebbell played Koba in DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, will appear as Doctor Doom in Josh Trank's THE FANTASTIC FOUR, and now Variety is reporting the actor is in early talks to play Messala in Timur Bekmambetov's BEN-HUR remake.
If Toby Kebbell does join the film, he'll star alongside Boardwalk Empire's Jack Huston as Judah Ben-Hur and Morgan Freeman as Ildarin, a slave who knows a thing or two about chariot racing.
Like the Charlton Heston classic, Timur Bekmambetov's film will be based on the Lew Wallace novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, and the script was written by 12 YEARS A SLAVE screenwriter John Ridley. However, it's been said Bekmambetov's version will follow Wallace's book more closely than the 1959 film.
Do I think there's a pressing need for a BEN-HUR remake? Not at all, but I am interested in seeing Timur Bekmambetov's take on the source material.
BEN-HUR will be in theaters on February 26, 2016.
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