![\"benhur-uk-b\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/227\/2016\/07\/benhur-uk-b.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nAnother week, another round-up of Ben-Hur<\/a><\/i>-themed news items.<\/p>\n The Hollywood Reporter<\/a><\/i> says the film is on track to gross just $14-15 million in its first weekend in North American theatres. The paper notes that that is an \u201calarmingly\u201d low opening for a film that reportedly cost \u201cjust under $100 million\u201d to produce.<\/p>\n The film will have its world premiere in Mexico City on August 9<\/a>.<\/p>\n Jack Huston \u2014 who plays Judah Ben-Hur and drives a chariot in the film \u2014 will drive the \u201cpace car<\/a>\u201d at an upcoming NASCAR event on August 7.<\/p>\n Entertainment Weekly<\/a><\/i> spoke to Huston about playing Judah Ben-Hur:<\/p>\n Taking on the epic role was equally as surreal. \u201cI always found Charlton Heston, in the most wonderful way, a man\u2019s man,\u201d Huston added. \u201cHe\u2019s a solid human being, whereas my interpretation was when you find Judah, he\u2019s rather lost and he\u2019s more of a child or boy whose station gives him the sort of freedom not to process or react to all of the atrocities which have happened to him. He\u2019s sort of blissfully unaware of what it takes to keep the peace. But underneath that, he knows he has an opportunity to possibly do something \u2026I think I wanted to see this progression of a man turning into a man, and seeing how circumstances and certain things that happen in our life changes us.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n DeWayne Hamby<\/a> spoke to Nazanin Boniadi, who plays Judah\u2019s love interest Esther:<\/p>\n There was clearly a point where she made a point to stay with Christ and made Judah make his choice. \u201cI\u2019m not going to compromise for you.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n I love that from the beginning when she finds the Carpenter, it\u2019s a triangle. It\u2019s not a love affair with Jesus, but he fulfills her spiritual needs and Judah fulfills the love and the physical emotions of love. And there comes a point where she really has to choose does she follow the spiritual faithful path and what defines her and fulfills her spiritually or the person who in the flesh is everything she needs and loves. Then she clearly makes that decision, the person that fulfills her faith.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Newsmax<\/a> spoke to Huston and director Timur Bekmambetov:<\/p>\n Director Timur Bekmambetov, best known for directing \u201cWanted,\u201d says the film\u2019s iconic chariot race is hair-raising.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are no airbags. There are no brakes [on the chariots]. It\u2019s like today\u2019s NASCAR,\u201d he says. \u201cPeople enjoy the speed, the tension \u2014 and most of all, when someone will crash.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Derry Journal<\/a><\/i> spoke to executive producer Roma Downey:<\/p>\n It marks a big month for Roma, who\u2019s due to get her own star on Hollywood Boulevard at the end of August.<\/p>\n \u201cI saw the original in Derry with my family,\u201d Roma told the \u2018Journal\u2019 this week. \u201cMy mother died when I was almost 11, and I remember her being there when we watched it, so I must have been very young.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was amazing, but it was a very long movie and I don\u2019t know that we, as a contemporary film going audience, have the patience to watch a three hour movie anymore.<\/p>\n \u201cI remember the original being so long that it had an intermission, so you got a break in between.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Beliefnet<\/a> spoke to Downey and her husband Mark Burnett:<\/p>\n \u201cJack Huston [who plays Judah] gives the most extraordinary portrayal of a man on a journey,\u201d said Executive Producer Roma Downey. \u201cThrough the course of the film, we see him change physically and emotionally. Physically, we see him go from this handsome, charming, debonair prince, to a man broken and brought to his knees. Through the years he spends on the galley ship, we see his body tighten and his heart harden. He knows that the only thing that will allow him to survive is to harness his lust for revenge.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Jack Huston also talked to Jimmy Kimmel about shooting the chariot race \u2026<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=LBXwjj9SrGU<\/p>\n \u2026 and about growing up with his famous relatives (one of whom, his grandfather John Huston, directed and starred in The Bible: In the Beginning\u2026<\/a><\/i> fifty years ago):<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=_s4GAbM2sfY<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the producers released a subtitled version of the \u2018Ceasefire<\/a>\u2019 music video:<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=UyUDk5i_cgo<\/p>\n And finally, the studio released a new TV spot via its Twitter account:<\/p>\n Defy an empire. #BENHUR<\/a> hits theatres August 19th, get tix NOW: https:\/\/t.co\/BfKnJPeVbp<\/a>https:\/\/t.co\/I04J1v0gPJ<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Ben Hur (@BenHurMovie) July 27, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n