Joffe: Intrigued to dramatize Escriva's liberating view

By Nicole Neroulias, in Nola.com

Three years after "The Da Vinci Code" sent Opus Dei scrambling to counter the film's depiction of a masochistic, murderous cabal, members of the Catholic organization have cautious hopes for a biopic of their founding father, St. Josemaria Escriva de Balaguer.

''There Be Dragons," which is currently filming in Argentina, is helmed by Oscar-nominated director Roland Joffe, whose previous works include "The Mission" and "The Killing Fields." The film is produced by Ignacio G. Sancha, an Opus Dei member who stresses that the film's $30 million budget comes from a range of investors, including several atheists.

''There are all kinds of ideologies and people involved," he said. "I think this movie would be much less interesting if someone attached to the church was to do it."

Founded in Spain in 1928, Opus Dei (Latin for "work of God") has more than 80,000 members worldwide, most of them lay people who are drawn to its message of finding spirituality in secular life. While members have helped secure financing for the film and serve as on-set consultants, an earlier screenplay that was written by a former nun was shelved for one penned by Joffe, a self-described agnostic.

Even so, the project has excited many Opus Dei members, who see it as a chance to set the Hollywood record straight while honoring their founder.

''It's obviously not going to be another 'Da Vinci Code,' but you really don't know until you actually see it," said Brian Finnerty, the U.S. spokesman for Opus Dei.

''But, I'm hopeful there are some good possibilities here. So much of St. Josemaria's message has great potential appeal -- finding God in everyday life, love for freedom, respect for all people, regardless of political differences."

Joffe, who said he initially shied away from the project, said he was ultimately intrigued by the chance to dramatize the life of a modern-day saint, particularly considering Escriva's "liberating" view that a path to God could be found in an ordinary life.

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