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Ben-Hur remake: Wonder Woman Gal Gadot will no longer star due to 'scheduling conflicts'

The Israeli actress has commitments shooting Batman v Superman

Antonia Molloy
Friday 31 October 2014 07:07 EDT
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Gal Gadot had been tipped to play slave Esther
Gal Gadot had been tipped to play slave Esther (Getty)

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Wonder Woman Gal Gadot has reportedly had to turn down a role in the Ben-Hur remake.

The Fast and Furious actress had been in talks to play the female lead in the epic biblical tale based on Lew Wallace's 1880 novel, but filming clashed with her commitments in Batman v Superman, according to The Wrap.

The Israeli actress had been tipped to play Esther, a slave who captures the heart of the Ben-Hur.

Meanwhile, Jack Huston has been cast in the male lead as the Jewish prince, who is betrayed by his best friend and cast into slavery.

The MGM and Paramount film also stars Toby Kebbell, Morgan Freeman and Game of Thrones actor Pedro Pascal.

William Wyler's 1959 remake won a remarkable 11 Academy Awards and taking the helm this time around is Timur Bekmambetov, who is best known for his 2004 Russian-language film Night Watch.

Mark Burnett, Sean Daniel and Joni Levin are producing, with Keith R Clarke and John Ridley working on the screenplay.

Wonder Woman marks Gadot’s biggest role to date. Directed by Zack Snyder, Batman v Superman serves as a sequel to 2013’s Man of Steel and sees Ben Affleck as the caped crusader while Henry Cavill is reprising his role as Superman.

Ben-Hur is scheduled for release on 19 February 2016 in the UK and 26 February in the US.

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