In The Da Vinci Code (Filmstalker review) the religious group Opus Dei got quite a bad reputation, and the group are quite adamant that they are far removed from their portrayal on the film. They are so keen are they to put this right that they are making their own film, about the founder of the group, Saint Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer.

However they are quick to say that they are not funding the film, merely consulting on it. Consulting so much that they have already picked their leads, Robert De Niro and Antonio Banderas. Now all they need is for the actors to hear about this.

According to an article in the Guardian a spokeswoman for the producers said:

"For the big parts, we would like De Niro and Banderas. But I say 'would like' because there are no contracts yet."

The producers are Lux Vide, a company known for their big budget religious films such as the film of John Paul II starring Jon Voight and Christopher Lee, and they have been pushing for a film of this figure.

Giuseppe Corigliano, head of Opus Dei's information office in Italy, told a press conference: "They had been asking us for at least six or seven years to act as consultants for a film on Saint [Josemaría]. At the beginning, we had doubts because we didn't think it was possible to convey [his] extraordinary personality, his sense of humour and deep faith. We agreed after the Da Vinci Code affair."

The Da Vinci Code book doesn't portray this religious group that accurately, and now it looks like they might get their chance on film to tell it like it really is. What will be interesting is how interested audiences will be in this religious story.