Walden media, home of one hit wonder Narnia (not for long- Prince Caspian hits this year) and wholesome family underperformers (Charlotte’s Web, How to Eat Fried Worms and, possibly, Bridge to Tarabithia) is going back to its Christian moneymaker by announcing its next project: C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters. If you thought Narnia was a Christian propaganda, check out now.
The Screwtape Letters outline the 31 letters filled with the teachings of the demon Screwtape to his nephew apprentice Wormwood. Based on the frailties and nature of man, Screwtape gives cunning advice on how to lead man into kicking faith in the nuts and giving sin a warm rubdown. Through various subtleties based on the precept that "The safest road to Hell is the gradual one — the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts," Letters essentially follows Wormwood as he tries to subvert a human simply named The Patient.
Whether or not you believe in the Christian faith, The Screwtape Letters is a fascinating read, giving some pretty keen insights into the justifications of human behavior, faith-based or not. As a credit to its philosophical relevance (if not a huge Christian following) sixty years after its publication as a book (it was originally published in paper The Guardian) The Screwtape Lettersc continues to sell millions of copies.
The film version is being announced as a "mid-budget" live-action piece. No director or casting announcements yet, but Walden and Ralph Winter Productions (X-Men, Fantastic Four) hope to have Screwtape out in 2008.