Although biopics of Mohammed’s life are hardly new, surely in this day and age, such an enterprise presents certain risks:
Producer Barrie Osborne cast Keanu Reeves as the messiah in The Matrix and helped defeat the dark lord Sauron in his record-breaking Lord of the Rings trilogy. Now the Oscar-winning American film-maker is set to embark on his most perilous quest to date: making a big-screen biopic of the prophet Muhammad.
Budgeted at around $150m (£91.5m), the film will chart Muhammad’s life and examine his teachings. Osborne told Reuters that he envisages it as “an international epic production aimed at bridging cultures. The film will educate people about the true meaning of Islam”.
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In accordance with Islamic law, the prophet will not actually be depicted on screen.
Even so, such a production inevitably runs certain risks.
I mean, if the Muslim Brotherhood were to hear about this film, they would inevitably cause world-wide demonstrations, riots, loss of life!
It is backed by the Qatar-based production company Alnoor Holdings, who have installed the Muslim scholar Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi to oversee all aspects of the shoot.
Oh. That’s that risk dealt with.
I wonder how the film will deal with the massacre of the Jewish tribe, the Banu Qurayza?
