Howard shuns calls for Da Vinci Code disclaimer

Director Ron Howard has dismissed calls for his film The Da Vinci Code to include a disclaimer as unnecessary.

Opus Dei had asked film-makers to make it clear the Tom Hanks-starring movie is a work of fiction as it portrays the Catholic group as a corrupt, barbarous cult at the centre of a cover-up of the truth about Jesus Christ.

But Howard says The Da Vinci Code is clearly fictional: "It's not theology or history. Spy thrillers don't start off with disclaimers."

An American spokesman for Opus Dei says: "A disclaimer could have been a way to show (Sony Pictures) wants to be fair and respectful in its treatment of Christians."