What A Hideous Idea
Filed under: Film Flickers
William Wyler was responsible for the Oscar-winning film Ben-Hur back in 1959 starring Charlton Heston.
Now, Wyler's son, David, is going to do a remake.
Why?????????????
The announcement was made a few days after Heston's passing.
Heston won th Academy Award for best actor in Ben-Hur, for his portrayal of the prince Judah Ben-Hur.
David Wyler is producing the feature as a mini-series with Alchemy TV. According to reports, the $30 million project will start later this year.
Wyler told Variety, “We’ve got a joke that this is the family business. In my mind this is dedicated to my dad and Chuck. We think it’s a great way to keep his memory alive.”
The new version of Ben-Hur will be based more on the original novel and less on the two earlier adaptations. It will also feature a younger lead character and focus a bit less on the religious aspects.
Wyler stated, "We want to look at the spirituality within the piece rather than directly relating it to a specific religion. It’s a very complex story. It’s been 50 years since my father’s version and we think we can bring something new and contemporary to it in the same way that ‘Gladiator’ did for that genre.”
The mini-series has already been sold to Canada, Spain, and Germany. There is also negotiations with two networks and a cable channel for the US rights.
Will U go watch?
This may not even air in America!
1st
1??
Go me!
IF BRAD PITT
OR JIM CARRY IZ
IN IT..
LUV THEMZ
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
vote for our rightz
we won't forget..that u want to kill our kidz….
first
if anyone knowz ..zhe doez…
I prolly won't watch, but I don't think it's any big deal.
FIRST
W. Wyler has commented many times that the two main characters in this film (ben-hur included) were gay lovers. This was all done subtly and he wished he could have been more obvious. I hope his son will follow his fathers original wishes for the film.
I SMELL A POO ALERT!
bullshit is a coming…….
Leave the classic alone.
can someone tell him to get a kid to teach him how to bowl and a kid to teach him..that when the pledge is being said..we stop where we are and we pledge. every small child in America has that respect in school..learn to be an American.I haven't seen anything yet that shines the light on it, maybe that pastor of his made that look like black America against white America.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
Oh hell no.
Why would they try to completely ruin that classic.
It's one of my favorites.
I'd hate to see it with any other actors, or on some huge hollywood budget.
:[
Noooooo.
What a joke and a slam on Heston and a great movie.
What a disgrace.
It'll be butchered, no question.
What a horrible thing to do right after somebody important to the project dies; a GREAT way for publicity.
Having somebody remake a movie of this spectacle is like asking somebody to remake The Exorcist.
Mind you, at least they're remaking a GOOD movie, and falling short of producing another piece of crap like Hollywood likes to do nowadays.
lame.
It is a horrible idea!! Now is not the time to encourage a return to the Dark Ages, it's time to get something new; at least make an obscure Greek poem into a film & not this, maybe something about Inanna's descent into the Underworld? The 1st divinity to become associated with resurrection was a Goddess.
OH.MY.GOD WHAT A BAD IDEA.
i had to watch ben hur in high school and it was torture. i hate that movie so much and would NEVER watch it willingly. and if they are re-making it…than God help us.
Hmmm… Not sure how I feel about this. I actually just finished watching W. Wyler's Ben-Hur again last night in honor of Mr. Heston (I think TCM is airing the movie this week for those who are interested). The saga of Judah Ben-Hur is pretty remarkable and I would welcome a version that relieves us of some of the Christian message, especially since Judah is so passionate about his Jewish heritage. (Never read the book-maybe that was a part of the original story-line.) Hope they don't fuck up the iconic chariot race scene.
hah this is like in the book series The A-List. a guy in the book remakes this movie
Sounds great! I hope it comes to the US. A classic story - would certainly watch!
Bad Bad BAD idea. And to take the story of Christ out of it…ummmm????? They're going to ruin the whole thing and do a disservice to the original and Mr. Heston.
FINALLY ANOTHER MAINSTREAM GAY PICTURE!
What a slap in the face. What the hell are they thinking. Just yet ANOTHER example to prove that Hollywood no longer has ANY original ideas. Leave the classic be, PLEASE!
This will make "Ishtar" look like a blockbuster. A remake of Ben-Hur deserves to loose millions. It sounds as entertaining as a tooth ache.
This could be really good, the key point is that this will be a mini-series not a film, which means its going to be expansive and work more within the parameters of the book.
The 1959 Ben Hur was already a remake of the vastly superior 1927 epic with Ramon Navarro.
And apart from th great chariot chase scene, anything in a remake would be better than the turgid, humorless and way overlong 1959 version.
Don't remake the classics - PAY A WRITER for some ORIGINAL WORK. It's out there. TONS OF IT. Just because it's the "Family Business" doesn't mean you have to drive it into the ground with yet another Chariot Race…
William Wyler's Ben-Hur is a classic (even if you're not crazy about Charlton Heston.) Why doesn't sonny boy go and make a classic of his OWN, instead of trying to outdo dad? He'll never outdo dad.
A MINI-SERIES? Ug. poisonous. He'd do better if he tried to cut into the Police Academy franchise.
WHY? WHY? WHY?
Why can't anyone come up with an ORIGINAL movie idea?! Whats with all the freakin remakes of classics (Cape Fear, Planet of the Apes) and not so classics (Poseidon, The Ring)?? Let alone someones kid deciding he is going to retell his fathers already perfect film into his own warped idea of how he feels he can improve and make it more 'contemporary' ~cause we need more of that at the movies~ Plus, using 'Gladiator' as an example for a genre is completely different from taking a vintage unique movie that already exists and crapping all over it with your newer more contemporary shit.
THIS IS GOING TO BE AMAZING!!! I can't wait!
I think its brilliant! Brilliant Brilliant Brilliant! I would rather my kids watch a remake of a fantastic classic then any stupid reality show! We should embrace it. Plus David Wyler rules! I'm sure it will be amazing!
Please- there is only one BenHur. It took years (until I was 30) to figure out Ben Hur was the name of the character. No, I'm not a dumbass, I have a MS plus, plus in degrees,but I was so young when it came out I didn't get it. I love 3 scenes from the movie, 1st- the rowing scene, 2nd the chariot scene, and 3 the leper scene. What a fantastic actor Mr. Heston was. Hopefully, we will have one 1/2 the talented as he was.
How could it not be great? It's in the blood! If anyone can do it, David Wyler can.
This kind of makes me sad. Charlton Heston was the version I grew up with and loved. I couldn't imagine a better version. D:
charleton (charleton) heston is too fucking ugly to be gay. Id rather get fucked by his gun than his teeny tiny pee pee. rip fucker shoot to kill
OMG!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! DONT KILL THE MOVVVIIIEEEEE!!
Now everyone knows what we in Hollywood have always known…he's an *******
The first and classic version with Ramon Novarro is better than the latest and still good version Heston did. Nothing can win over those two.
PEREZZZ!!! PENDEJO!!! Canada is America too maricon!
FUCK THAT RACIST DEAD BASTARD CHARLTON HESTON!!! FUCK HIM, GOOD RIDDANCE TO BAG RUBBISH!
whatever at least michael bay isn't making it
Re: bev – fuck you
……………what a bad idea.
That's my stupid 2cents of the night.
DO NOT MESS WITH THIS CLASSIC!!!!!
NO REMAKE!!!!! BOYCOTT REMAKE!!!
One of the best movies ever is going to be butchered by high-tech, modern shit and mediocre talent. Please, don't mess with this film!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's just as fucking ridiculous and angering to classic film fans, such as myself, as the idea of Madonna remaking and STARRING in a remake of Casablanca!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ben-Hur was a great movie and a great story worth retelling to a group of people that may not have seen one of William Wyler's masterpieces. Who better than his son to give that retelling the love and respect it deserves.
Hell no! Why ruin one of our biggest classics?
They should just re-release it instead..
Hollywood is out of Ideas. Out of Plans. STuck in a rut. Remmakes, Music to samples to much, reduce reuse recycle takes on a whole different meaning now.
does't anyone have original ideas anymore?
If the Ben Hur story is so great that it generates this passionate and number of responses, more people and more generations need to see it. By making a new version, a huge number of people will discover the legacy and enjoy its telling. It not like Fahrenheit 451…they're not destroying the 69 version. People who like the new one can go rent the original and enjoy that too.
Oh, by the way, they've invented this cool new device called a "remote control". If you no like…you change the channel.
Lighten up and unclench a little.
Peace.
Yeah … now you do it after Heston's death. Otherwise he'd probably kick your sorry ass for even thinking of it.
no! i dont care who you are or who your father was, YOU DO NOT DO A FUCKING REMAKE OF A MOVIE LIKE BEN-HUR. it's a classic so leave it alone!!! why bother even trying when you know its not going to live up to the origional. YOU WILL FUCK IT UP SO DONT EVEN TRY!!
Seriously why must we be punished! Please not another Ben Hur! I for one will never in my life watch the old one again and never watch the new one!