Update to this story.
HOLLYWOOD – As controversy surrounding the new Hollywood blockbuster ‘Noah’ increases, three Arab countries have banned the new movie before it premiers, with more countries expected to follow suit.
“Censors for Qatar, Bahrain and the UAE (United Arab Emirates) officially confirmed this week that the film will not release in their countries,” a representative of Paramount Pictures, which produced the $125 million film starring Oscar-winners Russell Crowe and Anthony Hopkins, told Reuters on Saturday, March 8.
“The official statement they offered in confirming this news is because ‘it contradicts the teachings of Islam’,” the representative said, adding the studio expected a similar ban in Egypt, Jordan and Kuwait.
The $125 million film, Noah, depicts Prophet Noah who suffers visions of an apocalyptic deluge and takes measures to protect his family from the coming flood, according to the movies website IMDb.
Directed by Darren Aronofsky, the American biblical epic movie is due to be released by the end of March.