Brad Pitt May Play Pontius Pilate In Warner Epic

You wouldn’t think playing the man who condemns Jesus to death would be a coveted role, but Deadline reports that Brad Pitt is circling the role of Pontius Pilate in Warner Bros’ planned biblical epic that will look at the Roman soldier and speculate as to why he did what he did.

No director is currently attached, but Vera Blasi’s script is described as as being, ‘Almost like a Biblical era Twilight Zone episode in which a proud, capable Roman soldier gets in way over his head. His arrogance and inability to grasp the devoutness of the citizenry and its hatred for the Roman occupiers and their pagan gods leads him to make catastrophic decisions.

‘All of this puts him in a desperate situation and in need of public approval when he is asked to decide the fate of a 33-year old rabbi accused by religious elders of claiming he is King of the Jews. Along the way, such Roman emperors including Caligula and Tiberius and New Testament figures like John the Baptist, Salome and Mary Magdalene are seen in a tale that culminates with Pilate’s fateful decision to allow Jesus Christ to be crucified.’

It’s an intriguing idea to look at things from Pilate’s point of view, with Deadline comparing it to Braveheart and Gladiator. It’s bound to be expensive, so getting Pitt onboard would give the project a lot more impetus as it’s likely Warner will want a big star to try and lure viewers in.