Pedro Pascal and Gal Gadot are definitely on the rise. Pascal joined the cast of “Game of Thrones” last year and quickly made Oberyn Martell one of the best characters on a show already filled with great characters. Gadot is about to play the premiere female superhero Wonder Woman in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and the just announced standalone Wonder Woman and two-part Justice League films.
Well, both actors are circling the forthcoming Ben-Hur remake, directed by Timur Bekmambetov, to add to their resumés. Pascal will play Pontius Pilate, and Gadot will take on the role of Esther, a slave who is Ben-Hur’s love interest. The cast already includes Jack Huston as the titular prince betrayed into slavery, Toby Kebbell as his betrayer, and Morgan Freeman as probably someone wise.
I do not understand why this story needs to be told again. The 1959 version, starring Charlton Heston, still holds up as a thrilling epic, and Bekmambetov does not give me a lot of confidence behind the camera. Neither does a February 26, 2016 release date. However, they are building a pretty impressive cast, and I hope they are able to lift up the material.
Original reports from Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter
