'Ben-Hur' miniseries gets leading man

Joseph Morgan has reportedly been cast as the leading man in the forthcoming Ben-Hur miniseries.

The Welsh actor will portray the role made famous by late actor Charlton Heston in the 1959 film, and will be joined in the four-hour remake by Emily VanCamp and Stephen Campbell Moore, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Morgan will play the rich youth looking for vengeance after being betrayed by his friend Messala (Moore), while VanCamp will star as the love interest and daughter of a slave.

The cast also includes Ray Winstone, Kristen Kruek, Hugh Bonneville and Alex Kingston among others.

The adaptation is budgeted at approximately $22 million and will be executive produced by David Wyler, the son of the original movie’s director.

ABC, Canada's CBC, Spain's Antenna 3 and Germany's ProSieben will air the television project.