Khalil Gibran’s famous fictional work “The Prophet” will soon be made into an animated film, with the help of the Doha Film Institute.

The film, which will be divided by chapters and comprise of shorts directed by different award-winning filmmakers, begins pre-production this month.

Actress Salma Hayek, who hails from Mexico but has Arab roots, along with Clark Peterson and Ron Senkowski, will produce the project. In a DFI press release, she says:

“The Prophet has been an incredible source of wisdom and inspiration for millions of people all over the world. Being of Lebanese descent, I’m particularly proud to be part of a project that will present this masterpiece to new generations, in a way never seen before.”

DFI is one in a group of co-financers, including Participant Media, MyGroup Lebanon, FFA Private Bank, JRW Entertainment and Code Red Productions.

The Prophet has sold over 100 million copies since its original publication in 1923. The Lebanese-born Gibran is the third most-read poet in history, after Shakespeare and Lao-Tzu, and has been translated in to more than 40 languages.

More information on the project is available here.