Homeland actress Nazanin Boniadi to star in Ben-Hur remake

The British-Iranian actress will play Esther, the love interest of Ben-Hur

Homeland actress Nazanin Boniadi will play the female lead in the remake of Ben-Hur.

The Iranian-British actress will play Esther in the Roman epic, a role that Wonder Woman’s Gal Gadot was initially in discussions to play, according to Hollywood website Deadline.

Boniadi is best known for playing CIA analyst Fara Sherazi alongside Claire Danes in the award-winning Showtime drama Homeland.

She has also appeared in TV series 24, Suits and How I Met Your Mother. Her Ben-Hur performance will be her biggest film appearance since Iron Man in 2008.

The 34-year-old will play the love interest of protagonist Judah Ben-Hur, a falsely accused nobleman who endures slavery before becoming a charioteer.

Esther, who was portrayed by Israeli actress Haya Harareet in the 1959 original, is the daughter of Ben-Hur’s loyal slave, Simonides.

British actor Jack Huston will star as Judah Ben-Hur, alongside Morgan Freeman, Olivia Cooke, Pedro Pascal and Toby Kebell.

The remake of the Fifties film was announced by Paramount Pictures and MGM in April. The film is set to be released in February 2016.

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