Rodrigo Santoro was blessed by Pope Francis in a break from filming Santoro was blessed by Pope Francis in a visit to The Vatican during filming, which took place over six months in Italy earlier this year. 'He has a depth and intensity, a soulfulness and spirit,' Downey said, but acknowledged, 'I always think the Holy Spirit is casting these things. Santoro was chosen after many actors were turned away. 'This is my third crucifixion sequence as a producer,' she said.

Ms Downey, a Catholic from New York, noted that casting the role of Jesus was a particular challenge. Instead he finds redemption as his life intersects, in surprising ways, with that of Jesus, who is played by Brazilian actor Rodrigo Santoro. Stripped of his title, separated from his family and the woman he loves (Nazanin Boniadi), Judah is condemned to the tortured life of a galley slave.Īfter years at sea, Judah returns to his homeland to seek revenge. Set in the Holy Land during the time of Jesus, Ben-Hur tells the story of Judah Ben-Hur (played by Huston), a Jewish prince falsely accused of treason by his adopted brother, Messala (Toby Kebbell), a gentile officer in the Roman army. The 1959 version of Ben-Hur, starring Charlton Heston, won 11 Oscars I certainly know that, in my life, when hearts are opened, grace moves in and all things are possible.' The potential for this film to open hearts is important. 'But at the heartbeat of it is a deeply profound message. It's exciting, exhilarating, beautifully performed and shot,' Ms Downey told an audience at the Sheen Center for Thought & Culture, a new forum for discussion and the arts run by the Archdiocese of New York. 'People are going to come because it's an action movie, and it will deliver on all of that. The original film cost $15m to make in 1959 - which is about $122m in today’s money - and won 11 Oscars in the same year: a feat only matched by Titanic and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.

Now the pair have taken on the epic task of recreating Ben-Hur, the 1959 classic based on the novel Ben-Hur: A Life of the Christ by Carol Wallace Hamlin, which was blessed by Pope Leo XIII and endorsed worldwide by the Church. They produced two highly successful US TV series The Bible and AD: The Bible Continues, as well as the feature film Son of God, which took $67.8m at the box office last year. The remake - with British actor Jack Huston playing the lead role (pictured left) - is by husband and wife team Roma Downey and Mark Burnett who have already had a number of successes with their faith-based production company, LightWorks Media. The Holy Spirit had a role in casting the role of Jesus in next year’s highly anticipated Hollywood remake of Ben-Hur, according to one of its producers.

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