“The devill . . the prowde spirite . . cannot endure to be mocked.”—Thomas More (as quoted by C.S. Lewis on the opening page of The Screwtape Letters)
CNA is reporting that Walden Media has made known plans to create a movie version of C.S. Lewis’ classic The Screwtape Letters. This comes on the heels of the massive success that Walden had with Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. It will be the third Walden project based on a Lewis work, as Prince Caspian, the second book of The Chronicles of Narnia, is already in development.
The Screwtape Letters is one of my favorite books. It reveals the correspondence of two demons. Wormwood the elder, accomplished devil and his young, often bumbling nephew Screwtape. Unlike “The Chronicles,” The Screwtape Letters is not a book aimed at children. It reveals the seemingly never ending struggle between good and evil for the rights to the souls of men. What makes this book unique is that it is told from the “opposing” side. While most people look to tell the story of God reaching out to take souls from the hands of the Devil, Lewis show that the other side is still fighting. Lewis shows many of the follies of “the other side” as a young Wormwood learns the ways of devilry.
Like The Chronicles, The Screwtape Letters is set in a time when Europe is dealing with war. With death and destruction all around, Lewis looks at how tempters seek to shift the balance of a soul’s desire. The book is clearly influenced by Lewis’ war experience and his conversion from atheism to Christianity.
Many feared that Christian elements of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe would be sacrificed for the big screen. Although I did not see many of these sacrifices in that movie, I am sure the same concerns will be raised for The Screwtape Letters. However, movies like The Passion of the Christ have proven that an unadulterated Christian message can be shown on the big screen without the financial concerns of those making the film.
I am really excited about this film. I hope they can continue to shine a light on the brilliance of C.S. Lewis. His writings and ideas are as relevant today as ever. The expected release date is sometime in 2008.
