THE WAR FOR
MIDDLE-EARTH

The lives of two of the most influential Christian authors in modern times were shaped decisively by war: Serving as second lieutenants in the British military, J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis survived the mechanized slaughter of the First World War.

Yet when they returned home, they discovered that the traditions, beliefs, and ideals central to Western civilization were under assault.

The First World War created a storm of disillusionment and cynicism about human freedom, democratic values, and traditional religion. A raft of ideologies rushed in to fill the void: communism, fascism, eugenics, scientism, modernism, and totalitarianism.

Tolkien and Lewis were determined to fight back. Oxford University, where both men took up their posts as instructors in English literature, was not immune to the crisis enveloping Europe.

In the mid-1930s, as a “gathering storm” of evil descended upon the European continent, they rededicated themselves to their scholarly and literary pursuits. “Well, Tollers,” Lewis announced to Tolkien, “if they won’t write the kinds of books we want to read, we shall have to write them ourselves.”

The creative friendship between Tolkien and Lewis offers an enduring and inspiring model of cultural leadership. We, too, face a cultural crisis: fresh assaults on the political, moral, and religious ideals that shaped Western civilization and made possible the American experiment in ordered freedom. By exploring the lives and achievements of Tolkien and Lewis, our film series will reveal how their shared moral vision created a new beachhead for what philosopher Russel Kirk called “the permanent things” amid a deeply hostile culture.

The film will be based on Joseph Loconte’s New York Times bestseller, A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War and on his newly released book, The War for Middle-earth: J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis Confront the Gathering Storm, 1933-1945. Mr. Loconte will serve as the film’s historian, screenwriter, and host.