february 7, 2007
Walden Media & Ralph Winter to Produce C.S. Lewis' "The Screwtape Letters"
Variety is reporting that Ralph Winter Productions has teamed with Philip Anschutz's Walden Media to produce a big screen adaptation of the C.S. Lewis novel, The Screwtape Letters.
The film will be produced by Walden's Bristol Bay Productions, the same division that produced Ray, Sahara, and the soon-to-be-released, Amazing Grace.
Variety reports that Walden hopes to release The Screwtape Letters in 2008. This will be the company's second Lewis collaboration following The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which grossed $744 million worldwide. The sequel to that film, Prince Caspian, is due out next year.
Like The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Screwtape Letters is based on a biblical worldview and Christian themes. Lewis first published Screwtape in 1942. The novel takes the form of a series of instructional letters from a senior demon, Screwtape, to his apprentice diabolical nephew, Wormwood. As a mentor, Screwtape advises his protege on the finer points of undermining faith and promoting sin. His instructions are interspersed with observations on human nature and Christian doctrine.
Since taking over the publishing of The Screwtape Letters in 2001, Harper San Francisco has sold almost 1 million copies of the trade paperback alone.
As he did for The Lion, The Witch & Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis' stepson Douglas Gresham will co-produce this film. The film will be co-produced by Ralph Winter, producer of The Fantastic Four and the soon-to-be-released sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Winter has also served as producer for X-Men, X-Men 2, X-Men: The Last Stand, and Planet of the Apes.
Susana Zepeda, of Ralph Winter Productions is also co-producing, along with Randy Argue, who wrote, produced and directed the 2002 film, "Shoot or be Shot." Walden executives on the project are VP of production, Alex Schwartz, senior VP of production, Jackie Levine, and creative executive, Bonnie Solomon.
Walden Media is a family-friendly film production company, led by Philip Anschutz. Along with The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, some of Walden's releases include Bridge to Terabithia, How to Eat Fried Worms, Charlotte's Web, Because of Winn-Dixie, Around the World in 80 Days, and Holes. Walden is also the producer of Amazing Grace, a powerful movie chronicling the life of William Wilberforce, and evangelical member of the British Parliament, and his crusade to overturn the Atlantic slave trade.
Amazing Grace will be released in theaters across America on February 23rd. I strongly endorse this film and encourage you to get the word out to your pastor, family, and friends. Learn more about this dramatic story at CBN.com's special Amazing Grace section.
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Ralph Winter on IMDB
See CBN.com's special Narnia section
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