With Skyfall and The Hobbit recording close to $2 billion in sales worldwide, MGM is ready to make a new movie; one they hope can be the next Passion of the Christ ($611 million in worldwide box office sales).
After such an unexpected journey over the past year, MGM has hopes to pocket some extra cash by filming a remake of Ben-Hur. For some this movie may sound very familiar… that’s because it is. In the 1980’s MGM was strapped for cash and the studio was forced to sell the rights to the original 1959 Charlton Heston film Ben-Hur.
So, one may think… how is MGM able to re-make the movie if they previously sold the rights? Well, it is actually quite interesting. The source material for the film (Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, written in 1880 by Lew Wallace) is now considered public domain; therefore there are no rights to be issued!
MGM is taking a gamble with this one, hoping it’ll be the next big hit among drama and history fans.
Will the film succeed?
Give us your thoughts!
