A biographical film about the Prophet Muhammad produced and financed by a Qatar-based company is now expected to cost a whopping $1 billion, the Peninsula reports.

The English-language blockbuster, which was originally slated to cost about $150 million and be presented as a trilogy, will now be in seven parts, Qatar-based Al Noor Holding Group announced yesterday.

The Prophet will not be directly depicted in the film, but his companions will be, said Sheikh Yusuf Al Qaradawi, who is leading the research on the movie.

The Peninsula reports: 

Al Qaradawi said, after research and consultations with 30 prominent Islamic scholars, he was convinced that there is nothing wrong in presenting the senior companions of the Prophet in artistic creations. There is no text in the Holy Quran banning this, he added.

No premiere date has been set for the first chapter of the biography, but shooting for the film was slated to begin last year, and Al Noor reportedly said that the “preparations for the film were progressing well.” 

Thoughts?

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