C.S. Lewis’ bestselling book The Screwtape Letters is going to hit the big screen in a feature film from Max McLean, an acclaimed theater actor who has since spent much of his life adapting Lewis’ work for the stage.
Last week, Fellowship for Performing Arts (FPA), the New York City-based theatrical company known for its faith-driven productions rooted in the works of Lewis, announced it had secured the rights to adapt The Screwtape Letters into a feature film.
The project will be produced in partnership with The C.S. Lewis Company, marking a significant new venture for the company behind the acclaimed stage version of the satirical Christian classic.
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“We are thrilled to be collaborating with The C.S. Lewis Company on this amazing project,” McLean, founder and artistic director of FPA, said in a statement.
First published in 1942, The Screwtape Letters presents a darkly comic exploration of temptation and morality through the correspondence of Screwtape, a senior demon, to his apprentice nephew Wormwood. The novel has sold millions of copies worldwide and remains one of Lewis’ most influential works.
Vincent Sieber-Smith, managing director of The C.S. Lewis Company and a producer of Netflix’s upcoming “The Chronicles of Narnia” films, praised the partnership.
“Fellowship for Performing Arts has long demonstrated a remarkable ability to enhance Lewis’ legacy for new audiences through compelling, imaginative and faithful theatrical adaptations of his books. We are excited to begin work on this screen adaptation and look forward to bringing this story to a new generation.”
FPA’s stage adaptation of The Screwtape Letters has been a critical and commercial success, with sold-out performances in New York, London and across the U.S. for nearly two decades.
The upcoming film follows the success of FPA’s 2021 theatrical release, “The Most Reluctant Convert,” which tells the story of Lewis’ journey from atheism to Christianity.
Founded by McLean, FPA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to producing theater and film from a Christian worldview. Its past works include adaptations of The Great Divorce, “Mark’s Gospel,” “Martin Luther on Trial,” and “C.S. Lewis On Stage: Further Up & Further In” — a follow-up to “The Most Reluctant Convert” — as well as the first New York revival of the Tony-nominated “Shadowlands.”
FPA’s mission, according to McLean, is to engage a diverse audience, including skeptics, through high-quality productions that invite deep conversations about faith, truth and meaning.
“We want to be in the marketplace of ideas,” McLean told The Christian Post in an interview earlier this year. “Our shows are done in performing arts centers and universities. We invite people from all backgrounds and then offer follow-up opportunities like discussion groups.”
According to McLean, Lewis’ writing is especially effective at engaging these audiences. “He had a steel-trap mind, could remember everything he read, and translate it into powerful prose and speech,” McLean said. “But he did it all under the headship of Christ. That’s what sets him apart.”
Though he died in 1963, Lewis remains one of the best-known Christian authors worldwide. Over the years, his fiction writings have been turned into numerous family-friendly films and TV projects, including a 1988 BBC version of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and three movies produced by Sony Pictures that grossed more than $1.5 billion worldwide.
McLean told CP he believes Lewis’ ability to appeal to both intellect and imagination is why his work continues to influence lives. Books like Mere Christianity have played a significant role in the conversion stories of figures such as Chuck Colson and Francis Collins.
“Lewis didn’t shy away from the hard questions,” McLean said. “He understood the tension between what we feel and what we believe. He said if we feel but don’t act, eventually we become numb to both.”
Leah M. Klett is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: leah.klett@christianpost.com
