Newly formed Qatar-based company Alnoor Holdings is raising the finance for a 150-million-dollar blockbuster biopic about the life of the Prophet Mohammed, it said on Tuesday.

Barrie Osborne, a Hollywood movie industry veteran of over 40 years whose credits include Lord of the Rings and The Matrix, has signed up as producer of the documentary epic.

- Barrie Osborne has agreed to produce the film and hopefully we should start to shoot in the first quarter of 2011 - Raja Sharif, Alnoor's vice-president for international affairs, told AFP.

The film will respect Islamic traditions forbidding images of the prophet, so Mohammed himself "will not appear," Sharif said.

Qatar-based Sunni cleric Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi, head of the Association of Muslim Scholars, will lead the research and serve as technical consultant on the project, Alnoor said.

Osborne said - I am inspired by this opportunity to bring such epic entertainment to the world and excited by the chance to inspire and enlighten by bringing the story of one of history’s greatest figures to audiences around the world. -

Alnoor chairman Ahmed Al-Hashemi said - There are more than 1.5 billion Muslims worldwide and Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world. The story of the Prophet has great contemporary relevance for Muslims and non-Muslims alike, and Alnoor is delighted to announce it as our first project. -