Warner Bros has acquired “Woman On Top” scribe Vera Blasi’s Biblical-themed spec script “Pontius Pilate” says Deadline.
This biopic follows Lucius Pontius Pilate’s transformation from the sensitive son of a Roman Knight into a ferocious soldier on the political fast track under Emperor Tiberius’ rule.
Promised a military governorship in Egypt, Pilate is instead assigned to become Judea’s prefect at a time when the Roman-occupied Jerusalem was a cauldron of religious tensions. He fell into historical infamy when he had to decide the fate of a 33-year old rabbi by the name of Jesus Christ.
The film puts a new spin on Pilate, portraying him as a capable but arrogant soldier who gets in way over his head and ends up making catastrophic decisions. Other figures glimpsed in the story include Tiberius, Caligula, John the Baptist, Salome, Caiaphas and Mary Magdalene.
The script itself, said to be akin to “Gladiator” and “Bravehart”, reportedly focuses on the history, politics and character motivations rather than the greater theological implications.
Mark Johnson will produce and directors are currently in talks.
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