These people want the controversy, they’re expecting the controversy:

But Oscar-winner Hanks said objectors to The Da Vinci Code are taking the film too seriously, telling the Evening Standard: “We always knew there would be a segment of society that would not want this movie to be shown.
“But the story we tell is loaded with all sorts of hooey and fun kind of scavenger-hunt-type nonsense.
“If you are going to take any sort of movie at face value, particularly a huge-budget motion picture like this, you’d be making a very big mistake.
“It’s a damn good story and a lot of fun… all it is is dialogue. That never hurts.”

Why give them the controversy? Notice how he has the talking points: it’s fiction, it’s a chance for dialogue.
Read the rest here.
(Link via Drudge Report)