Paramount Adds Explanatory Note to ‘Noah’ After Pressure by Religious Group

The message reads: “The film is inspired by the story of Noah”

Paramount has added an “explanatory message” to its Biblical epic, “Noah,” at the request of a religious broadcasters group, the studio and the group announced on Thursday.

The decision followed an appeal by Dr. Jerry A. Johnson, President & CEO of National Religious Broadcasters, to help audiences better understand that the feature film is a dramatization of the major scriptural themes and not a line-by-line retelling of the Bible story, the statement said.

The statement added to the film is:

“The film is inspired by the story of Noah.
While artistic license has been taken, we believe that this film is true to the essence, values, and integrity of a story that is a cornerstone of faith for millions of people worldwide.
The biblical story of Noah can be found in the book of Genesis.”

Also read: Russell Crowe Spent the Weekend Asking the Pope to See ‘Noah’

“We are deeply appreciative of Dr. Johnson’s efforts to bring this idea to us,” said Paramount Picture’s Vice Chairman, Rob Moore. “Our goal has been to take every measure we can to ensure moviegoers have the information they need before deciding to buy a ticket to see the film. We are very proud of Darren Aronofsky‘s Noah. We think audiences all over the world will enjoy this epic film.”

The studio has been trying to tread the line between the secularist views of its daring filmmaker Aronofksy and its desire to appeal to religious audiences with the big-budget movie starring Russell Crowe. And it has sparred with one publication that suggested religious groups might not want to see the film.

Paramount agreed to add the message to all its future marketing materials, including a soon-to-be released online trailer, the film’s official website, and 100% of print and radio, as well as some of the film’s online and broadcast.The movie opens on March 28.

Comments