The poster shows Caland, who also stars in the YBG Productions film, sitting atop a Buddha's head. To Thai Buddhists, the head is the most sacred part of the body and is not to be touched, let alone sat upon.

Caland's feet -- the least holy part of the body to Thai Buddhists and never to be pointed at anyone -- dangle by the figure's eyes.

"The Thai embassy has lodged a formal protest and the Thai consul has talked to Mr. Philippe Caland, who offers his apology for the unintended offence," Kiattikhun said.

The ministry's action followed a public outcry raised in Thai newspapers that published the poster on front pages and captioned it "Buddhism Humiliated."

Thai politicians joined the uproar this week, urging people of all faiths to bombard Caland with emails with their grievances and calling on the government to ban the film in Thailand.

In a tent under the skeleton of his unfinished dream house, an independent Hollywood producer struggles to keep his head above water as everything falls apart around him. Bolstered by mantras and a $2,000-a-month rental statue of Buddha, he turns his obsessive need to release his unsaleable last feature, the aptly titled "Dead Girl," into a moneymaking venture, even if it means interpolating footage of an Indian distributor making necrophilic love to the star corpse, via blue-screen, to cinch a foreign sale.