Two-part mini-series adapted by Alan Sharp from the 1880 novel by Lew Wallace, originally adapted for the screen in 1959 as the Charlton Heston-starring classic. Joseph Morgan stars in this version as Prince Judah Ben-Hur, the young Jewish prince and charioteer whose refusal to capitulate to the occupying Roman forces leads to his family being torn apart. After the Roman invasion of Jerusalem, Ben-Hur's best friend Octavius Messala (Stephen Campbell Moore) turns against him, imprisoning his mother and sister and forcing Ben-Hur into slavery. He manages to escape, however, and returns to seek revenge against his former friend in a deadly chariot race.