'2012' Loses Worldwide Destruction to Avoid Religious Wars

By PopEater Staff Posted Nov 6th 2009 11:55AM

Roland Emmerich has demolished nearly every beloved monument in the world in his disaster movie career - from Big Ben in 'Independence Day' to the Statue of Liberty in 'The Day After Tomorrow' - but you won't see the German filmmaker take down Islam's holiest site in his new end-of-days flick '2012.' Emmerich had planned to show the destruction of the Kaaba, the structure in Mecca toward which Muslims turn for daily prayer, but changed his mind when his co-writer suggested the scene might spark more trouble than they'd bargained for.

"My co-writer Harald [Kloser] said I will not have a fatwa on my head because of a movie. And he was right," Emmerich told SciFiWire. "It's just something which I kind of didn't [think] was [an] important element, anyway, in the film, so I kind of left it out."

The director added, "We have to all ... in the Western world ... think about this. You can actually ... let ... Christian symbols fall apart, but if you would do this with [an] Arab symbol, you would have ... a fatwa, and that sounds a little bit like what the state of this world is."

Fans of disaster movies shouldn't fear that Emmerich is losing his edge. The director, who did include a destruction shot of the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, pushed plenty of other buttons. "Because I'm against organized religion," Emmerich explained.

"The whole Vatican kind of tips and kind of rolls over the people. It said something, because in the story, some people ... believe in praying and prayer, and they pray in front of the church, and it's probably the wrong thing, what they would do in that situation."

"I always try to come up with what makes sense for the story, you know?" Emmerich said. "And it's not only about the destruction. It has to kind of stand for something.

Tags: 2012, IndependenceDay, john cusack, JohnCusack, Roland Emmerich, RolandEmmerich, the day after tomorrow, TheDayAfterTomorrow

Comments

(51)

Friday 06 November

By ian

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What a big WUSS..."a big bad Muslim might want to kill me b/c they might get offended". Jeez, grow some balls.

By exoticdoc2

I'm sick of every weenie out there kowtowing to Muslims because they are such a hateful, violent group.

By Tom

Typical hypocrite just interested in the $ and not having a pair of balls. I wont see this movie.

By Mickey Glick

Read what the man says another way. The man said it wasn't an important element. This could mean that Mohamedanism is so insignificant it does not even get an honorable mention.

By mark

Film making is an art like any other, and real artists have passion for their work. It's a shame that this "artist" lets his artistic vision be compromised,by his own fears. That to me,is not a TRUE artist, but a hack.....

By yourname

Religious people are the craziest morons in the world. I don't care what religion you are, you're all a bunch of gullible idiots. This character you have created is no different than Hitler was. We are here because of evolution, anyone who thinks different needs to pull their head out of their #ss!! And if, "IF", god is real, why does he allow a child to be born with HIV, or cancer, or missing a limb, or into the arms of a molester, or abuser. Anyone who sits back and allows that to happen is a piece of sh*t. If god is real and he was laying before me, dying, I wouldn't lend a hand to help in fact I step over him and continue on my path. If we took all the money spent on religion and put it back into the economy we wouldn't be in this recession. Instead we waste money on million dollar churches and praying to a man that is sitting back while we destroy ourselves over him..."it". Wake up people. Anyone who needs to look to a higher power to get through the day, is weak. And the bible...what a joke!! That book was written and ALTERED because of people that were scared of the unknown. There is no "higher power". You are your higher power. You are the reason you wake up everyday, you are the one that puts food in your childs stomach, you are the reason you are able to read this, you are the reason you went to college, you are the reason you turned RIGHT and not left....you are the reason you made it to the end of the day.

This man decided not to put that scene in his movie because you people, and I mean anyone that looks to religion for an "answer", not just muslims, anyone, are f-ing nuts. You're like a bunch of children with the same imaginary "friend". Read the bible and then a book on evolution and THEN tell me I'm wrong. Anyone not too gullible will understand what I am talking about. Thank you and have a nice day:)

By Steven Sylvester

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I was going to watch the moive until a read the article where the director Roland was too scared to show the destruction of islamic holy cites. Really? Are you so weak and pathetic. When people who proclaim to hate organized religion spare one of the leading religions of the world it is the sign of someone who is unworthy of respectl. I have had muslim friends all my life and when I told them about this article and the "sparing" of "their religion" one hundred percent laughed and said, "What a loser." We have no respect for people who are so scared of us that they pander to us with trivial overtures like this. They said that this comes from fear not respect, and that is even more proof of a racial bias that had he put it in the movie. The upshot is that non of us with pander to the director and whomever else is responsible by seeing this movie.

Wednesday 21 March

By The_Vinlander

You are right, mister.

What are these south americans, yep I know I generalize, trying to do when they are "bashing" the muslims? Did they ever open a freaking book? Holy hell, it's not because a freak wearing sandals in a cave has decided one day that he has to call a "crusade" against the US that all the muslims are against you and your, oh god bless, so beautiful beliefs. Open mindness do you know what it is? I do not believe in any religion, but still I do respect them and I am furious when weirdos are saying crap against religions. Go back to school bunch of 'tards.

What about Jim Jones, David Koresh, Meir Kahane? They're extremists, but still they're not seen
as archetypes of Christianity and Judaism. Think about it.

Monday 09 November

By Joanie

They worry about "offending" muslums, but they couldn't care less about "American Christians" Look at all the the offensive things they do to us. Like "art" of a crusafix in URINE. I bet the movie demolishes the vatacin. It's just a movie, why do they give in to all these MORONS

By joan

Maybe if people had more faith in their lives, the world wouldn't be so damn violent. Years ago most families practiced thier religion, and were taught to live by the good book,but government took that away and now we have nothing but disrepectful, violent people who fear nothing..Not the law nor do they fear hurting thier families..I would much rather have the good old days of decency

Tuesday 10 November

By Wloogs

Sure he can detroy the Vatican and the Statue of Christ...Christians are ALWAYS an easy target...scriptures (Jesus) says..."blessed are those when they persecute you and utter every kind of falsehood against you because of me". We just continue to be blessed and blessed and blessed from our persecutions...

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