About a month ago it was reported that Timur Bekmambetov (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) was in talks to direct the Ben-Hur reboot for MGM.

There’s now have unofficial confirmation that Bekmambetov will indeed take the reins of the new adaptation of the 1880 Lew Wallace novel, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ.

According to Collider, MGM was wise to pick up Keith Clarke’s spec script of the Biblical epic, with Darren Aronofsky’s Noah prepping to launch for Paramount and New Regency, and Ridley Scott’s Exodus set to open in December 2014 for 20th Century Fox; that studio also will release a theatrical cut of The Bible miniseries coming under the title of Son of God. Hit the jump for more.

Deadline reports that Bekmambetov and MGM have finalized their deal for the former to helm Ben-Hur.

The story, classically adapted for the screen in William Wyler’s 1956 epic starring Charlton Heston and winning a whopping 11 Oscars, centers on the title hero of a Jewish charioteer and his life, which intertwines with that of Jesus Christ.