Buddha: the Movie (re-visited)

An update on this previous post.

From India eNews:

Producer Bhupendra Kumar Modi organised a special luncheon party in Los Angeles to seek the blessings of the Dalai Lama before launching his $120 million epic feature film ‘Buddha’ to be directed by Shekhar Kapur. [...]

Hollywood luminaries Sharon Stone, Goldie Hawn, Laurence Fishburne, Robert Downey Jr, Chris McGurk, and Carol Mendelsohn also graced the occasion at the Peninsula Hotel, Beverley Hills.

I cringe every time Hollywood celebrities are mentioned in connection with Buddhism.

The English film, which will be made under the banner of Modi’s M Films, is a screen adaptation of Vietnamese Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s book ‘Old Path White Clouds’. It is to focus on the life and teachings of the Buddha.

Hanh, who was present at the luncheon, said his book was a ‘manual for the practice of peace’.

The writer of the article seems to have mistaken the last character of the name Thích Nhất Hạnh [釋一行] for the monk's surname. In East Asia, however, surnames are traditionally placed before the given name. Furthermore, Thích Nhất Hạnh is not the name he was given at birth, but is rather his Dharma name. In the case of Buddhist monastics in the Vietnamese tradition, the first character of the Dharma name is always Thích [釋], which comes from (the Sinicized form of) the Buddha's clan name Śâkya [釋迦, शाक्य]. This signifies that Buddhist monks and nuns are members of the Buddha's family.

To add further to the confusion, when East Asian names are Anglicized, the order of the components is not consistently preserved, i.e., it depends on the whims of the particular writer or editor. This has led to diplomatic faux-pas, but is also sometimes deliberately done for humour (such as referring to a certain unpopular dictator as Mr. Il).

Said Modi: ‘We intend ‘Buddha’ to be a major film across the globe. We’re confident this will be every bit the exciting epic Hollywood film we envisioned from the start.’

Just about the last thing a movie based on the life of the Buddha needs to be is an "exciting epic Hollywood film".

‘Buddha’ will be shot in the US, Japan, China, Thailand and India.

I'm curious to know why scenes are going to be shot in the US, Japan, and China. Will parts of the movie be taking place in these countries (i.e., Little Buddha style), or will these countries be standing in for parts of India? (I suppose the jungles of Thailand are similar enough to the jungles of India to serve as a substitute.)

‘It will make history as the most expensive film ever to be shot in India. Casting for the film will begin immediately and the producers are currently considering A-List stars for the lead roles. Principal photography is slated to begin in 2007 and the film should be ready for worldwide release in 2008,’ said Modi.

M Films has also roped in Hollywood Producer Michel Shane, executive producer of Hollywood blockbusters like ‘I Robot’ and ‘Catch Me If You Can’ for the film.

The fact that it will be "the most expensive film ever to be shot in India" doesn't seem to quite mesh with its "focus on the the life and teachings of the Buddha", who after all was a prince who gave up his wealth to become a beggar. But of course, the followers of the Buddha are famous for their lavish projects.

南無阿彌陀佛