Michael Jackson's daughter Paris to play Jesus as a lesbian woman in new movie

Paris Jackson as Jesus Christ in Habit. Photo / Supplied

Paris Jackson, daughter of the late pop icon Michael Jackson, will portray Jesus Christ as a lesbian woman in a new indie film.

Habit, which will also star Bella Thorne and Gavin Rossdale, is a rock-n-roll take on the life of the messiah and will see Jackson play Jesus Christ as a woman with tousled hair and a nose ring.

Jackson will play Jesus opposite Thorne, who will star as a "street smart, party girl with a Jesus fetish [who] gets mixed up in a violent drug deal and finds a possible way out by masquerading as a Nun," a press release announced.

The film's producer, Donovan Leitch, told Entertainment Weekly that the film will have music at its heart, explaining: "We intentionally stacked the film with rock stars and will have a very rocking soundtrack."

Even though the film's release date has not been announced, Christian groups are already moving to block it.

A petition by Movieguide, a Christian non-profit, is currently seeking to stop the film, saying that it is "unacceptable to believers".

The group argued that the film would confuse and mislead children.

"Hollywood is back at it again!" the petition states. "This time they're attacking the historical and biblical portrayal of Jesus Christ. We need your help to stop it!

"Help us prove that this movie is unacceptable to believers around the country and the globe."