Ralph Winter and Bristol Bay are bringing The Screwtape Letters to the big screen!

The Screwtape Letters is such a powerful work, one of the highest pinnacles of C.S. Lewis’s works. And in a world in which the whole idea of evil is constantly called into question, this text continues to serve as a treasure trove of insight.

Wow. Who should play Screwtape? Who should play Wormwood?

Who should direct it?

I want Charlie Kaufman to write the screenplay. Since the whole book is a correspondence, somebody will have to create a structure for the thing, and I think he could concoct something worthy of the text. He’s a genius. He’s great with dialogue. He’d revel in the possibilities. He would make sure that the film did not cheapen or oversimplify the source material. He’d come up with a story that would suit Lewis’s idea.

A plea to the powers that be: Please don’t sweeten it up. And please don’t create a story that inserts big CGI demon battles. Stick to the basics, find the wicked comedy in this material, and get Charlie Kaufman!

And directing it? We need somebody who knows how to find comedy in mischief and darkness. The Coen Brothers. Paul Thomas Anderson. David O. Russell. Martin Scorsese. I’m even tempted to say Christopher Nolan.

And it’s going to need some fantastic talent in the leads: P.S. Hoffman, D. Day-Lewis, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Greg Kinnear, Ian McKellen, Michael Gambon, Albert Finney, Sean Bean… there are so many actors I’d love to see sinking their teeth into these roles. Peter O’Toole would make a great Screwtape.

But not Jack Nicholson. No, please no.

Post your wish-list here.

And if you haven’t read it yet, well… you’re in for a fantastic time. Pick it up. It’s so affordable.

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