controversy

Did the Producers of Soul Surfer Try to Digitally Erase a Bible?

Here’s a lesson that we’re sure Sony has since committed to memory: If you’re going to show an upcoming movie to religious leaders in an attempt to market it to Christian audiences — in this case, the inspirational surfer drama Soul Surfer, starring Helen Hunt, Dennis Quaid, and Carrie Underwood — make sure you don’t show the version where the words “Holy Bible” have been digitally removed from the cover of the book. That’s the allegation made by Tom Hamilton, whom Quaid plays in the movie; in the scene in question, Quaid’s character is reading the Bible in the hospital as his daughter recovers from a devastating shark attack. Hamilton claims that producer David Zelon engineered the omission so that the movie would then appeal to wider audiences, and he also alleges that in one scene where Underwood’s character quotes Scripture, producers didn’t want her to actually attribute those words to the Bible. Since then, Hamilton’s been to another screening where the first Bible issue was resolved, at least: “I could see the words bright and clear,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “I looked at my wife and whispered, ‘Thank you God, they put it back.’” [HR]

Did the Producers of Soul Surfer Try to Digitally Erase a Bible?