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Controversial biopic of Muhammad set for remake

The Message, Moustapha Akkad's Gadafy-backed 1976 film of the life of the prophet that sparked the Hanafi Muslim Siege, is to get a Hollywood remake

It was one of the most controversial films of the 70s: an English-language biopic of the prophet Muhammad that was bankrolled by Gadafy and went on to trigger a fatal siege ahead of its US premiere. Now The Message could be set for a grand return to the fray courtesy of a 21st-century Hollywood remake.

Producer Oscar Zoghbi, who worked on the original, today announced that the new version – entitled The Messenger of Peace – was currently being scripted by Ramzi Thomas and would film in locations around the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. "We have only the utmost respect for [the original film] but technology in cinema has advanced since the 1970s," Zoghbi said in a statement. "This latest project will employ modern film techniques in its renewal of the first film's core messages."

"In the 21st century there is a real need for a film that emotionally engages audiences on the journey that led to the birth of Islam," added Ramzi Thomas.

Directed in 1976 by the late Moustapha Akkad, The Message starred Anthony Quinn as an Arab follower of Muhammad and was funded by the Libyan leader Muammar Gadafy. In accordance with Muslim conventions forbidding any visual depiction of the prophet, Muhammad is never seen or heard in the film. Instead, Akkad opted to signify his presence with light organ music and occasionally framed the film from the prophet's point of view as he observed the actions of his followers. Two versions of the picture were shot – one in Arabic and the other in English.

Read more @ The Guardian