hat a difference $2 billion in late fall box office business has done for MGM‘s ambitions. The studio is planning to unleash a new version of Ben-Hur, based on the 1880 Lew Wallace novel Ben-Hur: A Tale Of The Christ, which outsold every book but The Bible until it was eclipsed by Gone With The Wind.
MGM, which emerged from bankruptcy and is raising new funding after Skyfall crossed $1 billion worldwide gross and The Hobbit heads to the $900 million mark, is buying a Ben-Hur spec by Keith Clarke (he scripted the Peter Weir-directed The Way Back), and the package comes with Sean Daniel and Joni Levin attached to produce, and Clarke and Jason Brown exec producing.
Oh good lord heck no. I need to see the original one
Want to Hear How I met Roy E. Disney in 2003? Click the link Below
Goes to show you how unoriginal Hollywood is getting.
As the years go on, different people want to present their vision of the same story over and over again. It will never stop. The sad thing is there have been remakes since the birth of film making.
I still need to see Ben Hur. Now excuse me while I go hide before someone finds out I haven't seen Ben Hur and...oh poop I just it. (In the Voice of the Madagascar penguin) You didn't see anything about me not seeing said movie.
Want to Hear How I met Roy E. Disney in 2003? Click the link Below
I'm a little surprised it's only been done this many times. If I am correct there is only the first silent short, the silent feature, the Heston feature, the animated Heston feature, and a TV mini-series for such an old story that's practically like it's never been done!
It is so sad that MGM hasn't learnt anything from its second chance; the world isn't clambering for a Bun Hur remake; maybe an untapped book adaption, or ... deep breath ... spend money on doing something NEW ?!
