It looks like Qatar is trying to one-up Iran's latest Mohammed film with its own.
On the heals of the Montreal Film Festival premiere of Iran's "Muhammad: A Messenger of God," the first installment of a trilogy that cost an estimated $40 million and has been hailed as the country's most expensive film ever, a Qatari media company has announced plans to spend $1 billion on a seven-part series covering the life of Mohammed and other Abrahamic prophets.
Even though the new Qatari project will be seven parts, the $1 billion dollar price tag means that each installment will cost more than three times as much as Iran's project.
Alnoor Holdings, the Qatari group behind the project, tried to piggy back off the success of the Iranian film by announcing the massive budget and project details during the Montreal Film Festival.
For his part, Majid Majidi, the Iranian director behind the latest film, took it all in stride saying, "The more movies that are made about the prophet’s life, the better. We hope the Qatari team will make a correct interpretation of Islam, and they are most welcome to come and film at our facilities in our country," according to The Guardian.
Majidi's film has received criticism from Sunnis because it depicts Mohammed, although the prophet's face is never shown. Saudi Arabia’s Grand Mufti Shaikh Abdul Aziz Al Shaikh even condemned the film.
"Prophet Mohammed, Peace Be Upon Him, has well-known and specific physical and moral qualities, and the movie makers insist on something that is not realistic," he said, according to Gulf News.
"The Prophet is well above the movie. This movie is a sacrilege and it distorts Islam. People are warned against watching the movie because those behind it are not trust-worthy and rely on lies. They are not honest."
In Sunni Islam, portrayals of Mohammed and other prophets are discouraged or forbidden. Films about the prophets Noah and Moses have stirred controversy throughout the Middle East and have even been banned in some countries. Iran is predominantly composed of Shiites, who are generally more relaxed about depicting religious figures than Sunnis.
Qatar however, is predominantly Sunni. So, it will be interesting to see how the news of its latest film endeavors will be received throughout the broader Sunni community.
The first film is tentatively penciled for release in 2018, although production has yet to begin. Alnoor Holdings isn't planning on cutting any corners though.
Already the company is describing the forthcoming series as meeting "Hollywood standards" according to Doha News. The company has also brought on Barrie Osborne, the producer of "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Matrix Trilogy." New technologies are even being developed specifically for the production of the film.
"The films will bring a ‘wow’ factor in graphics and visual effects that has not been achieved before," Alnoor Holdings’ Chairman Ahmed Al-Hashemi said, according to Doha News.
"We are also developing technology tools for storytelling that will certainly be an element of surprise for the industry."