The ever-busy actor will portray titular character Judah Ben-Hur's mentor in chariot racing.
- Sep 12, 2014
AceShowbiz - Veteran actor Morgan Freeman just refuses to stop. Just a day after it was announced that the 77-year-old actor had joined the cast of "Ted 2", it was revealed that he's also part of "Ben-Hur" remake cast.
Freeman is the first formal casting made for the movie although it was reported last month that Tom Hiddleston was eyed for the titular role. Freeman is set to play the role of Ildarin, the man who teaches the slave Judah Ben-Hur to become a champion-caliber chariot racer, Deadline reported. An actor is yet to be cast as Messala, Ben-Hur's friend-turned-rival.
"Ben-Hur" is an adaptation of Lew Wallace's 1880 novel titled "Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ". This version will focus on the blood feud between Ben-Hur and Messala, who grow up best friends before the Roman Empire takes control of Jerusalem. Ben-Hur is a Jewish prince and Messala is 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.
Keith Clarke wrote the script, with the rewrite by "12 Years a Slave" scribe John Ridley. Timur Bekmambetov is directing the pic which will be released on February 26, 2016 as a joint project between MGM and Paramount.
