Roma Downey's LightWorkers Media Developing Karen Kingsbury Novel Series For TV

Deadline is reporting that Roma Downey's LightWorkers Media, the faith and family division of MGM, have acquired rights to New York Times bestselling author Karen Kingsbury’s The Baxter Family novel series for television.

The 22-book series has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide.

“Working with Roma Downey to see the Baxter Family become a TV series is the most exciting thing to happen in my entire career,” said Kingsbury. “In her capable and talented hands, we all believe the Baxter Family will become a longstanding beloved series that will run for many years to come. My 25 million readers have been begging to see the Baxter Family on TV, and now their dreams will come true.”

LightWorkers Media, launched in 2011 by Downey and her husband Mark Burnett, is now a division of MGM, whose TV operation is run by Burnett.

Chariots of Fire! Ben-Hur Remake in the Works

"Ben-Hur" is going to be remade by MGM studios, with sources telling Deadline that the focus of the storyline will feature more heavily on Jesus Christ.

The 1959 movie, based on the Lew Wallace novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, won 11 Oscars and is considered one of the most successful Christian movies ever made. The 1880 Lew Wallace novel Ben-Hur: A Tale Of The Christ outsold every book but The Bible until it was eclipsed by Gone With The Wind.  The story focuses on the Jewish prince Ben-Hur who is forced to live for many years as a Roman slave, before he rises to power and meets Christ, witnessing a number of miracles along the way. The planned remake will reportedly be more faithful to Wallace's novel and focus more on Jesus' life, while at the same time interjecting Ben-Hur's account.

Deadline reported that MGM has emerged from bankruptcy following the massive success of the 2012 James Bond movie "Skyfall" and the "Lord of the Rings" prequel "The Hobbit," both of which have made around $1 billion worldwide in terms of box office success. This has provided the ability for MGM to buy the "Ben-Hur" script from screenwriter Keith Clarke.

Sean Daniel and Joni Levin have been chosen as the producers for the remake. Levin has been behind a number of big Hollywood projects, including the "Mummy" franchise.

"It's one of the great stories of friendship and betrayal, and faith, that works in the context of a big onscreen action thriller for a global audience," Daniel has said of Wallace's novel.

No release date has yet been set for the project, and producers will only now begin to look at casting choices.

Movie fans are preparing for a number of major biblical movies that will be hitting the big screen in the next few years, with Darren Aronofsky's "Noah" starring Russel Crowe, "Pontius Pilate" starring Brad Pitt, and no less than two movies about Moses, directed by Steven Spielberg and Ridley Scott respectively, all in the works.