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. The tragic result was a Second World War.

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

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 film will be based on Joseph Loconte’s two bestselling books: A Hobbit, a Wardrobe, and a Great War and 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.