By Leah MarieAnn Klett, Assistant Editor Thursday, July 24, 2025

A feature-length animated film bringing to life the deep friendship and creative fellowship between C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, the minds behind The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings, respectively, is in the works. 

Filmmaker Aaron Burns, founder of the independent film studio Burns & Co., announced his studio has secured the film rights to The Mythmakers, a graphic novel about the two literary titans by New York Times bestselling author and illustrator John Hendrix.

“C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien’s works have inspired me for as long as I can remember,” Burns said. “When I read John Hendrix’s The Mythmakers, I immediately knew that Burns & Co. needed to adapt it into an animated film as special as the book. John’s words and images literally leap off the page, so I can’t wait to capture his creativity and craft a timeless film that families can enjoy for years to come.”

Hendrix, whose previous work The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler won the ECPA Book of the Year and multiple design awards, said he’s “thrilled” about the collaboration. 

“I am thrilled to have Burns & Co. adapting The Mythmakers into a feature-length, animated film,” he said. “I knew from our first conversation that their team really understood the book and shared my love for the mythology behind Lewis, Tolkien, the Inklings, and the worlds they built together.”

The graphic novel, which has been nominated for the 2025 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award in the Best Reality-Based Work category, traces the unlikely and enduring friendship between Lewis and Tolkien in 20th century England. Hendrix is also behind the books The Holy Ghost, Go and Do Likewise! and Miracle Man: The Story of Jesus.

With vivid illustrations and accessible storytelling, The Mythmakers explores how their spiritual lives, creative ambitions, and collaborative tension shaped some of the most enduring stories in modern literature.

“The Mythmakers book itself was a five-year project, but in many ways, the story began in my own heart when I first read The Hobbit when I was 10 years old,” Hendrix added. “I am eager to see how the amazing team led by Aaron Burns translates that nostalgic wonder many of us share to a new audience, in a new medium. As Lewis and Tolkien have taught us, art gets better in community, and I'm excited to share this story with a larger fellowship on the big screen.”

Burns will produce the film alongside director Justin Strawhand, who wrote the script for Birthright Outlaw, and producer Angela Galgani Sullivan. Hendrix will serve as an executive producer on the project.

The adaptation of The Mythmakers adds to a growing list of films, TV series and other projects inspired by Lewis and Tolkien’s legacy. 

Peter Jackson’s "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy and "The Hobbit" trilogy, based on Tolkien’s bestselling books, won a combined 17 Academy Awards. Amazon’s highly controversial “The Rings of Power” series, which debuted in 2022, also explores Tolkien’s work, setting its narrative in the Second Age. 

Biographical films like “Tolkien,” starring Nicholas Hoult, have also explored the early life and relationships of the Lord of the Rings author.

Tolkien was a devout Christian who famously saw his work as a way to bring the Gospel to the masses by exploring themes of good and evil, the power of redemption and the universality of sin. The Oxford scholar, who died in 1973, was credited with bringing Lewis back to the Christian faith.

In turn, Lewis’ beloved Chronicles of Narnia series has also been turned into several feature films over the years, collectively grossing over $1.5 billion worldwide.

In June, it was announced that the British author’s bestselling book The Screwtape Letters is slated 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.

Netflix also announced in 2018 that it had secured the rights to develop new "Narnia" adaptations for both film and television, with Oscar-nominated director Greta Gerwig now attached to direct at least two films. 

Actor Jim Caviezel recently revealed he's studying The Screwtape Letters for spiritual preparation as he prepares to reprise the role of Jesus in "The Resurrection of the Christ," the forthcoming sequel to Mel Gibson's 2004 film "The Passion of the Christ."

“He had a steel-trap mind, could remember everything he read, and translate it into powerful prose and speech,” McLean said of Lewis’ enduring popularity. “But he did it all under the headship of Christ. That’s what sets him apart.”

“Lewis didn’t shy away from the hard questions,” the actor added. “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.”