Ben Hur Rides Again - New TV Series

[john m roberts]

The advantage of remaking these old films is that the publicity work is already done for you. People who know little to nothing else about ancient Rome hear "Ben-Hur" and they think: "chariot race!" They hear "Spartacus" and they think: "gladiators rebelling!" Like everything else Hollywood, it's all about budget and when you reuse a familiar story, you need to dedicate less of your budget to publicity.