Tom Hiddleston is reportedly the top choice for MGM, Paramount Pictures and director Timur Bekmambetov to star in their Ben-Hur remake as the title character.

While it isn't known if an official offer has been extended to the actor yet, Tom Hiddleston is reportedly mulling over other projects such as MGM's Me Before You.

We first reported on the project back in January 2013, when MGM picked up the spec screenplay by Keith R. Clarke (The Way Back) after the studio emerged from its bankruptcy troubles with hits such as Skyfall and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

The script is reportedly much more faithful to the 1880 novel by Lew Wallace, which is currently in the public domain, centering on the early years of Judah Ben-Hur and Messalla, who were best friends as children before the Roman Empire conquered Jerusalem. After Messalla leaves for five years to be educated, he mocks his former friend's religion, and sets up Ben-Hur as the scapegoat for an accident, which causes him to be sold into slavery. Years later, Ben-Hur swears to get his revenge, culminating in the classic chariot races from the original movie

This remake will also include the story of Jesus Christ, whose story is told in parallel to Ben-Hur's, an aspect of the original novel that wasn't in William Wyler's 1959 Ben-Hur adaptation.

Tom Hiddleston most recently starred in Only Lovers Left Alive, and he will next be seen in I Saw the Light, Crimson Peak and High-Rise.