A REAL BLAST--The Blue Army of Our...

A REAL BLAST--The Blue Army of Our Lady of Fatima, a Roman Catholic organization dedicated to promoting knowledge of religious miracles, reportedly has invested $5 million in “Chain Reaction,” a $6-million political thriller currently filming in the United States and France. Directed and produced by Richard Bennett and starring Martin Sheen, Peter Firth and Tim Piggot-Smith, it tells the story of an American physicist who tries to convince world leaders to stop atmospheric testing.

Part of the movie will be filmed in the small Portuguese village of Fatima, where, in 1917 and 1938, villagers witnessed an unusual aurora borealis that they believed represented “great signs” given by Our Lady of Fatima in heralding the coming of each world war.

The plot is based on a scientific study that found a remarkable similarity between the lighted skies of Fatima and the aftermath of a 1958 atom bomb test at Johnston Atoll in the Pacific--and the organization, which has an estimated worldwide membership of 22 million, would like the account to reach a wider audience through film.