TIMES ONLINE: In Hollywood terms, it was the greatest story almost never told - until now.
With Middle Eastern money becoming an increasingly powerful cog in the global entertainment industry, it was perhaps inevitable that, sooner or later, someone would embark on a mega-budget epic about the life of the Prophet Mohammed.
That moment has arrived thanks to a wealthy Qatari media company which has put together a team featuring a crack Hollywood producer and a Muslim cleric who is banned from visiting Britain to bring the project to life.
Plans for the $150million English-language biopic were announced at the close of the Doha Tribeca Film Festival in Qatar on Sunday. The narrative will run from the years before the Prophet’s birth through to his death but there will be one conspicuous break from conventional biopic methods: in accordance with Islamic tradition the film will not represent the Prophet himself or direct members of his family.
A source close to the project said that Mel Gibson’s hugely successful (and gruesome) crucifiction [sic] film The Passion of the Christ had proved that there was a demand for religious-themed entertainment.
Barrie Osborne, a producer on the Lord of the Rings films and The Matrix optimistically envisages the film as a device that can help “bridging cultures”. Banned Muslim cleric hired to help make film about Prophet Muhammad >>> Ben Hoyle, Arts Correspondent | Monday, November 02, 2009
