Ben-Hur is a 2016 American historical epic directed by Timur Bekmambetov, written by Keith R. Clarke and John Ridley, and starring Jack Huston, Morgan Freeman, Toby Kebbell, Nazanin Boniadi and Rodrigo Santoro. It is based on the 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace. Prior film adaptations of the book include the 1925 and the 1959 films of same name. the film was released in North American theaters on August 19, 2016 in 2D, 3D and Digital 3D.