Biopic of the historical figure in development.
Warner Bros is reportedly planning a biblical epic based around the life of Pontius Pilate, the fifth Prefect of the Roman province of Judaea, infamously known as the man who authorized the crucifixion of Jesus.
Described by Deadline as being in the vein of ‘Braveheart’ and ‘Gladiator,’ the film will chronicle the evolution of Lucius Pontius Pilate from the “sensitive son of a Roman Knight into a ferocious soldier whose warrior exploits make him a general and put him on a political track under the Roman Emperor Tiberius.” The project is said to also deal with Pilate’s arrogance and inability to grasp the devoutness of the citizenry and its hatred for the Roman occupiers and their pagan gods.
The screenplay was penned by Vera Blasi (‘Emperor,’ ‘Woman On Top,’ ‘Tortilla Soup’). Blasi, who has spent 10 years researching the historical figure, tells Deadline:
“You have the available facts from Roman and Jewish history books and the four gospels, and then you are left to speculate, to interpret the character of Pilate and give him a dilemma. He seemed a great way to offer context to this very famous event, and if you look at it from the perspective of the Roman governor of that time, it allows for an investigation of the politics of Judea at the time, and what it was like to be occupied by Rome.”