Empire loves barmy movie ideas. Hell, we’ve even come up with a few of our own in the past – like Touching Cloth, in which Pete Postlethwaite plays a conductor on the York-Liverpool train who must stop a group of terrorists from blowing it up… all while he’s busting for a poo. Or how about Lethal Tender, about money that kills you? And its sequel, Deadit Card?
But, as utterly nutso as they all are, we never thought we’d see the day when somebody would want to make a movie about Jesus Christ’s evil twin brother.
But that day has come. Sort of.
For, even as you read this, producer Mario Stefan is in India, trying to find an Indian co-producer for director Robert Sigl’s The 13th Disciple, a modern-day thriller in which a pair of twin German archaeologists travel to India and discover that Jesus Christ also had a twin. And, in a twist that owes much to Sunset Beach’s legendary Derek/Ben storyline, Jesus’ twin turns out to be evil! And, as it happens, very much alive in the present day and leading an evil cult.
Now, that’s the sort of synopsis guaranteed to blow your mind – and, it should be said, get the Daily Mail on guard to fan the flames of controversy. But Stefan believes that the movie won’t be too controversial.
"It will be made clear from the beginning of our film that it's fiction," he told Reuters. "If you deal with religious themes, you have to be prepared and also (careful) that you do not hurt any feelings. Our film is not based on true events nor is it giving any religious message."
Chicken. It has to be pointed out as well that The 13th Disciple is a low-key, low-budget movie (Stefan has talked of a $7.4 million budget) that, in all likelihood, will end up going straight to Blockbuster. Still, any movie that comes up with a retro theory about Christ’s lineage can stir up a hornet’s nest, as Kevin Smith, Dan Brown, Ron Howard and Tom Hanks would tell you.
We’re most excited, though, about the Hollywood remake. Will Jerry Bruckheimer snap it up as a vehicle for Nicolas Cage, playing both the good and evil Jesuses? Is this the perfect opportunity to reinvent Christ as an action hero? Can movie ideas get any nuttier?