The Prophet

It took us over five years to get the rights, but Kahlil Gibran’s international masterpiece The Prophet will now be coming to screens everywhere. Salma Hayek has most recently joined Hanson and partners in turning this best-selling book into an animated feature film. Over a dozen directors from around the world will be bringing to life the various verses from the book, all inspired by the words of Almustafa, The Prophet.

Filmmakers on board include Sylvain Chomet (The Triplets of Belleville), John Stevenson (Kung Fu Panda), Marjane Satrapi (Persepolis), Chris Landreth (Oscar-winning short Ryan), Tomm Moore (The Secret of Kells), Nina Paley (Sita Sings the Blues), Bill Plympton (Guard Dog and Your Face), Darragh O’Connell (Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty) and Kunio Kato (Oscar winning short Tsumiki no ie). Yo Yo Ma will be contributing to the score which will work with the narration as a thruline to the film’s chapters and parallel story, the journey of The Prophet.

The Prophet is one of the best-selling books of all time, having sold over 100 million copies since its original publication in 1923. Gibran, a Lebanese-American, is the third-most-read poet in history after Shakespeare and Lao-Tzu, and has been translated into more than 40 languages. The book is about a prophet, Al-Mustafa, who awaits passage home on a ship after being away 12 years. He shares his theories on the important things in life. Salma Hayek, who is more than 50% Lebanese, has been interested in the book since childhood.

In addition to the film, we will be creating a robust social presence, mobile apps (“Ask The Prophet”) and a community that can enable a further celebration of this timeless and magical work of art.