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| Ben Hur Starts Production |
| Posted
on Wednesday, May 06, 2009 - 05:07 AM |
The legendary story of Ben Hur began principal photography May 4, 2009 and is being produced for the first time for television. Based on the original 1880's novel by Lew Wallace, the 4-hour miniseries is directed by Steve Shill (Rome, The Tudors, and the #1 US box office hit Obsessed) from a script by Alan Sharp (Rob Roy).
The project is financed and distributed worldwide by London and LA based Alchemy Television Group and co-produced by Drimtim Entertainment of Spain, Muse Entertainment of Canada and Zak Productions of Morocco in association with Alchemy and Akkord Films of Germany. The miniseries is being produced with the participation of Antena 3 in Spain, ProSieben in Germany, ABC Network in USA and CBC in Canada. Ben Hur is shooting in Ouarzazate, Morocco until the end of June.
It is 50 years since William Wyler's panoramic and hugely successful feature film Ben Hur won 11 Academy Awards.
Executive producers on the project are Manuel Corbi (Art Heist), Michael Prupas (Human Trafficking, The Last Templar), Frank Konigsberg (Guyana Tragedy, Ellis Island, Last Don), Dirk Beinhold (Afterwards) and David Wyler, William Wyler's son. "We are re-inventing the underlying material for a new generation, but the themes of friendship and forgiveness are timeless," says Wyler.
The international cast is headed by Joseph Morgan (Master and Commander, Alexander) as Ben Hur; Stephen Campbell Moore (Bank Job, Wallis and Edward) Ben Hur's best friend who becomes his enemy Messala and Emily VanCamp (Brothers & Sisters) is Ben Hur's love interest, Esther.
Other stars include Ray Winstone (Indiana Jones, The Departed) as Quintus Arrius, the Roman Admiral who becomes Ben Hur's adoptive father, Kristen Kreuk (Smallville) as Tirzah, Ben Hur's sister, Alex Kingston (ER) as Ruth, Ben Hur's mother, Hugh Bonneville (Notting Hill, Iris) as Pontius Pilate, the governor of Judea, Lucia Jimenez (The Borgias) as the courtesan Athene, Miguel Angel Munoz (The Borgias) as Antegua, Ben Hur's friend and fellow galley rower, Marc Warren (Dracula) as David, a leader of the rebellion against Roman occupation, Art Malik (True Lies, The Living Daylights) as Sheik Ilderim and James Faulkner (Bridget Jones Diary, The Bank Job) as Marcellus, the Machiavellian Roman senator.
Director Steve Shill is using the majestic backdrop of the natural world for the setting of the story. He is filming the famous chariot race, for example, in an oasis in the Moroccan desert where thousands of people will crowd the hillside, watching the horses and chariots compete in a frenzied and dangerous battle. "We are making a very realistic Ben Hur and it will be gritty, truthful, striking and surprising," Shill says.
Shill's production team includes Jonathan Stamp, the historical consultant who worked with Shill on Rome, Production Designer Benjamin Fernandez (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Gladiator), Director of Photography Ousama Rawi (The Tudors) and Costume Designer Simonetta Mariano (Tales from the Neverending Story).
Producers Simon Vaughan (Coco Chanel, Diamonds) and Roger Corbi (The Lost, Reflections) concur: "This is a huge production with a budget of over $22 million US. We have an outstanding cast and crew and expect to raise the bar of what it means to produce event drama."
Together with Executive Producers Manuel Corbi of Drimtim and Michael Prupas of Muse Entertainment, they have managed to harness the best creative and financial resources from the world-market to deliver a global network event. Corbi says, "Every century needs its Ben Hur and we are proud to be involved in the Ben Hur of the 21st Century. We want to give a contemporary dimension to the story." Prupas adds: "We are thrilled to be making Ben Hur for the world market, especially in the current financial climate when broadcasters are spending their budgets very carefully."
Alchemy CEO, Carrie Stein says, "Ben Hur is a must have for broadcasters around the world. We are extremely grateful for their efforts creatively and financially in helping us launch this enormous production. Ben Hur is a tent-pole event that comes along so rarely and we are extremely proud to be part of this project."
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