Moises Arias added to cast of ‘Ben-hur’ remake
The Biblical epic from Timur Bekmambetov, Ben-Hur, added another member of the cast as Moises Arias has joined the remake as Gestas.
Gestas is “a teenage Jewish zealot whose family has been murdered by the Romans, who is desperate to fight for his people’s freedom,” writes Deadline, who broke the news. Arias is most notable for his role in The Kings Of Summer, Hannah Montana and The Wizards of Waverly Place.
Stephen Boyd as Messala in “Ben-Hur”
Earlier this month, Skins and Gossip Girl actress Sofia Black-D’Elia was cast as Tirzah, “Judah’s sister who becomes quietly political when the Roman Empire takes control of Jerusalem. She is imprisoned alongside her mother and both contract leprosy before Judah returns home to free his family and avenge them all,” noted the Gossip site at the time.
Boardwalk Empire star Jack Huston headlines the cast, which includes Morgan Freeman, Toby Kebbell and Danish actor Pilou Asbæk, who had a small role in Lucy, as Pontius Pilate.
Produced by The Bible’s Mark Burnett, Keith Clarke, Jason Brown and Sean Daniel for The Sean Daniel Company, and Joni Levin for Point Blank Productions, the remake will hew more closely to the 1880 Lew Wallace novel Ben-Hur: A Tale Of The Christ than the 1959 Charlton Heston classic. Burnett’s Bible collaborator Roma Downey is executive producing for their MGM-based LightWorkers Media.
Ben-Hur is set to ride into theaters on February 26, 2016.
