Film deemed too controversial for U.S.

LONDON, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- British producer Jeremy Thomas claims his new movie "Creation" has not found a U.S. distributor because of its take on evolutionist Charles Darwin.

The Oscar-winning producer contends that despite positive reviews, the movie about the British naturalist's struggles while writing "On the Origin of Species" has not landed a single distributor in the United States, The Daily Telegraph reported Saturday.

"It has got a deal everywhere else in the world but in the U.S., and it's because of what the film is about," he said.

The movie portrays Darwin as a man who loses his religious faith due to an accident that kills his young daughter. Darwin is best known for writing 1859's "Species" that has served as the foundation of evolutionary theory.

Thomas, whose film "The Last Emperor" won the 1988 Best Picture Oscar, told the Telegraph "Creation" does not attack religion.

"Charles Darwin is, I suppose, the hero of the film. But we tried to make the film in a very even-handed way. Darwin wasn't saying 'kill all religion', he never said such a thing, but he is a totem for people," the producer said.