It’s safe to assume that most Christians know the movie, Chariots of Fire. It tells the story of Eric Liddell, an Olympic sprinter who once refused to run during the 1924 Olympic Games because his event fell on a Sunday. Despite this, Liddell would go on to win gold in the 400m event, and became a hero among Christians for his unshakable faith. As for the film itself, Chariots of Fire won several academy awards, including Best Picture and Best Screenplay, and is still considered one of the greatest Christian films of all time. So naturally, faith-based viewers were intrigued when it was announced that an upcoming film called The Last Race would chronicle Liddell’s time in China not long before his death.
However, a recent article from the National Catholic Register suggests that the upcoming film intends to leave out Liddell’s faith entirely. Matthew Archbold writes,
“A movie, with backing from the Chinese government, will be made but guess which aspect of his life will reportedly be ignored? His Christianity. The producers of the film, which will star Joseph Fiennes of Shakespeare in Love fame, already admitted that Liddell's Christianity ‘will not be emphasized.’"
“So a movie about a Christian missionary who sacrificed himself for others will not emphasize his Christianity. How does one do that? Don't actors always ask what their motivation is? I guess Joseph Fiennes was told to ignore what motivated Liddell. I guess audiences will be asked to do the same.”
As of this moment, information about The Last Race is very limited. The movie has not even received an official release date (thought it’s rumored to premier sometime next year). Hopefully, news of the film omitting Liddell’s faith will prove false, but for now, all Christian audiences can do is wait and pray.
*Published 8/18/2015