Ben-Hur remake: Wonder Woman Gal Gadot in talks for female lead

The Fast and Furious actress would star alongside Jack Huston

Israeli-born actress Gal Gadot is set to play Esther, the slave who Ben-Hur falls in love with (Getty Images)

The cast of the Ben-Hur remake is shaping up rather well, as soon-to-be Wonder Woman Gal Gadot looks set to join an already starry line-up.

The Fast and Furious actress is in talks to play the female lead in the epic biblical tale based on Lew Wallace's 1880 novel, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Jack Huston has been cast in the male lead as the Jewish prince, who is betrayed by his best friend Messala and cast into slavery. Toby Kebbell is to be that friend, while Morgan Freeman will play Ildarin, the man who teaches Ben-Hur to become a world-class chariot racer in his search for revenge.

Gadot would play Esther, a slave who captures the heart of the Ben-Hur. Meanwhile, Game of Thrones actor Pedro Pascal is reportedly in talks for the part of Pontius Pilate.

The MGM and Paramount film is to be directed by Timur Bekmambetov, who is best known for his 2004 Russian-language film Night Watch.

Mark Burnett, Sean Daniel and Joni Levin are producing, with Keith R Clarke and John Ridley working on the screenplay.

Gadot, from Israel, is also due to play Wonder Woman in the forthcoming Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, to be directed by Zack Snyder.

The film serves as a sequel to 2013’s Man of Steel and sees Ben Affleck as the caped crusader while Henry Cavill is reprising his role as Superman.

Ben-Hur is scheduled for release on 19 February 2016 in the UK and 26 February in the US.