Baptist Press News Interviews Michael Flaherty

BPNews got a chance to interview Michael Flaherty about Walden Media and the upcoming The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Here are some highlights from the article.

Forming the film production company was a challenge, one not taken lightly by the company’s founders.

“We want to be the next great trusted brand for families, particularly for teachers, libraries and parents,” Flaherty says. “And we have to deliver on our mission to use the film and the book to make learning more exciting for kids.”

The Walden Media CEOs now face their greatest challenge and very likely their most rewarding contribution to the film world — the making of “The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.”

“We go to a lot of teacher conferences, library conferences, curriculum conferences,” Flaherty says. “That’s an opportunity for us to ask teachers and librarians what books their students are reading. And what books they want to see made into movies. The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe has always been at the top of the list.”

“The film is the book, pure and simple,” Flaherty says. “So any themes in the book are there in the film. For me, the main themes are family and forgiveness. Those are the two great themes. I especially pay attention to them now that I have three children. What’s unbelievable is the friendships between the brothers and sisters in the story. And of course, the theme of forgiveness is beautifully incorporated.”

Read the whole story here.