Story perspectives

Oscar Winner Adapts Handel's Messiah for Upcoming Film

11/20/2025

Summary

Story summary

Walden Media hired Christopher Hampton, an Oscar and Tony Award-winning screenwriter, to adapt Charles King's 2024 book, *Every Valley: The Desperate Lives and Troubled Times That Made Handel’s Messiah*, into a film.
The book examines the historical context of Handel’s Messiah, focusing on the struggles of various figures during a tumultuous period.
Benjamin Tappan, Walden Media’s President, praised Hampton's ability to convey the story's depth.
The film, released by Sony Pictures Classics on November 7, has a 96% fresh audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

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Story summary

Walden Media hired Christopher Hampton, an Oscar and Tony Award-winning screenwriter, to adapt Charles King's 2024 book, *Every Valley: The Desperate Lives and Troubled Times That Made Handel’s Messiah*, into a film.
The book examines the historical context of Handel’s Messiah, focusing on the struggles of various figures during a tumultuous period.
Benjamin Tappan, Walden Media’s President, praised Hampton's ability to convey the story's depth.
The film, released by Sony Pictures Classics on November 7, has a 96% fresh audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.