By Dr. Ted Baehr
Dear Netflix Producers and Creative Team,
As someone who speaks daily to millions of Christians across America—through sermons, social media, and broadcast platforms—I want to extend both a challenge and an invitation.
The Christian community is not a niche. It is a vast, values-driven audience that is hungry for stories that reflect their worldview, honor their convictions, and stir their souls. With over 62% of American adults identifying as Christian in 2025, and 33% attending religious services monthly, this is not just a spiritual demographic—it’s a formidable market segment. Faith-based films like War Room ($67M box office) and Breakthrough have proven that when Christians see themselves and their beliefs represented with reverence and authenticity, they show up in droves and become a key element in the marketing campaign of such movies. Even secular titles such as Top Gun Maverick, that are careful not to include content antagonistic to Christian sensitivities tent to do far better than those that ignore this word-of-mouth promotion in favor of praise from peers.
Too often, adaptations of spiritually rich works—such as The Magician’s Nephew—veer into tones that feel ironic, irreverent, or campy. These choices may appeal to critics, but they alienate the very audience that would champion the film, and would make it an unprecedented success if it honored the sacred themes embedded in the story.
If your adaptation of The Magician’s Nephew broadly meets the following criteria—ensuring that Christians can find only content that supports their worldview—I will personally promote it to my subscriber base of over 64 million followers across our platforms. This includes email campaigns, livestream interviews, and coordinated screenings through churches and Christian schools nationwide.
Here are the key criteria we believe are essential to resonate with the faith-based audience:
1. Faithful Representation of Lewis’s lore, story chronology and Christian Themes
– Emphasis on creation, fall, and redemption motifs (e.g. Aslan’s song creating Narnia)
– Clear allegorical parallels to biblical truths without distortion
– Respect for Lewis’s theological intent, especially regarding good vs. evil
2. Moral Integrity in Storytelling
– Avoidance of gratuitous violence, sexual content, or profanity
– Promotion of virtues like courage, sacrifice, obedience, and humility
– Clear moral consequences for choices made by characters
3. Respectful Portrayal of Aslan
– Aslan depicted with reverence, majesty, and divine authority
– Avoid trivializing or reinterpreting Aslan’s role as a Christ figure
– Voice and visual design that evoke awe and spiritual depth that maintain the key Christlike attributes of an awe-inspiring Aslan as an authentic allegory of Christ
4. Biblically Resonant Themes
– Creation of Narnia echoing Genesis 1
– The temptation of Digory’s mother and the forbidden fruit paralleling Eden
– Redemption and healing as reflections of divine grace
5. High Artistic and Production Quality
– Cinematography, score, and acting that elevate the spiritual tone
– Avoidance of campiness, over stylized, over cheesy or over-commercialization
– Aesthetic beauty that reflects the wonder and sacredness of Narnia
6. Family-Friendly and Edifying
– Suitable for children and adults alike
– Encourages meaningful family discussions about faith and morality
– Offers spiritual nourishment, not just entertainment
7. Avoidance of Secular Reinterpretation
– No attempt to “modernize” or secularize the allegory
– Refraining from turning Lewis’s work into generic fantasy
– No ideological overlays that conflict with Lewis’ or biblical values
– No reinterpretation of gender-based personalities i.e. the two children.
In addition to my suggestions, adherence to these criteria can lead to enthusiastic endorsements from other respected pastors, theologians, or Christian reviewers, as well as screenings hosted by other churches or faith-based organizations, inclusion in the broader Christian media outlets, and could be co-promoted with Lewis’s apologetic works like Mere Christianity.
Potential pathways towards capitalizing on these opportunities and further fine tuning for greatest possible appeal to the largest target audience would include careful and thoughtful reflection by the Director, screenwriter, or producers for a better understanding of Lewis’s Christian worldview, which could be achieved by consultation with theologians and/or Lewis scholars during development.
Feel free to reach out to me and/or my staff to start this journey toward unprecedented community stakeholder engagement which could easily lead to a new standard for marketing these types of products across America and the world.
Yours sincerely,
Ted Baehr, Movieguide® Founder and Publisher
Will you add your name to this plea?
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