From playing a romancing hunk, Brazilian actor Rodrigo Santoro will now portray Jesus Christ in the remake of the iconic swords and sandal epic Ben Hur.

Santoro is best remembered as Nicole Kidman's leading man in the famous Chanel commercial, as well as Laura Linney's paramour in the 2003's Christmas-themed romcom, Love, Actually.

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Santoro, who was onec named one of People's Most Beautiful People, is now negotiating to give life on the character of Jesus Christ in the remake 1959 film that starred Charlton Heston.

Joining Santoro on the cast is Jack Huston as Judah Ben-Hur, the story's protagonist, who was a Jewish prince and wealthy merchant, who was betrayed by his best friend to show off his power. Ben Hur was eventually forced into slavery but swore revenge.

Morgan Freeman will also join the cast as Arrius, who offered to train Ben-Hur to become a charioteer and gladiator.

This is the not the first time that Santoro was cast in sword-and-sandals epic. In 2006, he was cast as the Persian god-king Xerxes in 300. He reprised his role in 300: Rise of an Empire in 2014. For his believable role on 300, Santoro was honored as the first Brazilian performer to have received a nomination at the MTV Movie Awards for Best Villain.

His other Hollywood film credits include What to Expect When You're Expecting (2012) and The Last Stand (2013). 

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