It is supposed to be closer to the book than the 1959 version and will show Jesus more. It was supposed to be released in early 2016 and is now moved to late summer, which is not a good sign. Studios often dump movies in late summer they think are no good. I came across this by accident. There seems to be no buzz, nothing. No trailers yet.
Downey and Burkett will try to be true to the story. There is a lot more to the book that just the spectacle of the big-budget movie.