Ron Howard has defended his new movie Angels & Demons claiming that it is not anti-Catholic.
The film is the sequel to 2006's The Da Vinci Code which was criticised by the Roman Catholic Church due to controversial interpretations and factual inaccuracies of Christian history.
Despite the controversy surrounding the movie The Da Vinci Code grossed over $758 million at the global box office and was one of the biggest movies of the year.
He wrote in the Huffington Post: "Let me be clear - neither I nor Angels & Demons are anti-Catholic.
"And let me be a little controversial - I believe Catholics, including most in the hierarchy of the Church, will enjoy the movie for what it is, an exciting mystery, set in the awe-inspiring beauty of Rome.
"It would be a lie if we had ever suggested our movie is anything other than a work of fiction."
Robert Langdon, a role reprised by Tom Hanks, is summoned by CERN to investigate a murder branded with an Illuminati symbol. But he uncovers a plot to kill four Roman Catholic cardinals and destroy St Peter's Basilica with stolen antimatter during a papal conclave.
Angels & Demons is released May 14th.
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