WATCH 'Noah' Featurette [VIDEO]: Religious leaders defend Darren Aronofsky's controversial movie

Darren Aronofsky's ambitious epic, Noah, hits theaters next week and the path to this release has been rife with controversy. Mainly the film, which stars Russell Crowe as the biblical figure, has been seeing opposition from the religious sect claiming it takes too much liberty in adapting the story. But now a new featurette shows religious leaders coming to the defense of the film, praising Noah for it as a "powerful," "profound," "pro-faith and pro-God" project.

After receiving the negative response from some religious groups, the marketing team behind Noah decided to include the following disclaimer with every advertisement:

The film is inspired by the story of Noah.

While artistic license has been taken, we believe that this film is true to the essence, values, and integrity of a story that is a cornerstone of faith for millions of people worldwide.

The biblical story of Noah can be found in the book of Genesis.

Now this featurette appears to be another step towards eliminating the controversy surrounding the film.

Slashfilm reports:

Even if you're not particularly religious, the video is well worth checking out. Screenwriter Ari Handel and Noah biblical advisor John Snowden offer their insights into the making of the movie, while various Christian leaders discuss some of the major themes of the story. Check out the Noah featurette, and learn how it came to be, after the jump. From the beginning, Paramount has made an effort to appeal to faith-based audiences with Noah. The first bit of Noah footage was revealed at the church-based Echo Conference to an enthusiastic response last summer, and test screenings were held specifically to gauge reactions from Christian and Jewish audiences.

Check out this new featurette for Noah right here: