Screwtape Coming To Big Screen

Fans of C.S. Lewis may be happy to learn that another of the author’s classic literary works will be making its way to the big screen in the not-to-distant future.

Lewis’ novel “The Screwtape Letters” has been picked up by Walden Media for film treatment.

After the relative box office success of that other little story by Lewis called “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” the powers that be felt that this other fantastical work by Lewis might be a good vehicle for a film production. “Prince Caspian,” the sequel to the first Chronicles movie is due out in 2008, and Walden is hoping to also release “Screwtape” the same year.

While the ‘Chronicles’ films hinted at its Christian roots, ‘Screwtape’ leaves little to the imagination as to its author’s deeply held religious beliefs. The only other book by Lewis that is so open about his personal convictions was his theological thesis titled “Mere Christianity.”

“The Screwtape Letters,” published in 1942, tells the story of one of Satan’s head demons by the name of ‘Screwtape’ who is mentoring his demonic nephew called Wormwood. The elder demon trains his young protege’ into the finer points of tripping up souls, undermining their faith and leading them into ’sin’ causing their decline into religious unfaithfulness. The book sprinkles in choice Christian doctrinal ideas as it poses to examine the basic drives of human nature.

While being played as fantasy by the studio it was anything but for C.S. Lewis. Walden Media says they are aiming to make this one primarily all live-action.