Could this guy be the star of the new Ben-Hur?

MGM and Paramount Pictures seem to have found the man to take over the reigns of biblical character Judah Ben-Hur in the remake of the 1959 classic.

Sources tell Variety that Jack Huston has been tapped to star in Ben-Hur that Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted) is directing. The script was written by Oscar-winning 12 Years A Slave writer John Ridley and Keith Clarke, who sold the original piece to MGM.

The film is based on Lew Wallace's 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale Of The Christ, and follows a falsely accused nobleman who survives years of slavery to take vengeance on his best friend who betrayed him.

The film is set for a release in the United States on Feb 26, 2016.

Ben-Hur joins the long list of Hollywood's recent interest in biblical stories that have either been released or are set to be released in the next couple of years. Paramount had already seen success from this genre with Noah, Darren Aronofsky's take on the Noah's Ark story starring Russell Crowe. That film grossed US$359 million ($455 million) worldwide, including more than US$100 million domestically.

Fox and Chernin just wrapped production on their Moses film Exodus: Gods And Kings, which will come out in December and stars Christian Bale. The studio is also developing a King David movie that Ridley Scott is producing.

Huston is best known for his role in HBO's Boardwalk Empire as Richard Harrow and recently signed on to co-star in the adaptation of Pride Prejudice And Zombies.