Nicolas Cage Unleashes Dark Twist on Ancient Text in Horror Film 'The Carpenter's Son'

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LOS ANGELES - In the second century, a lesser-known text about Jesus' childhood, the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, captivated early Christian communities. This apocryphal account, also known as the Paidika, has been a source of fascination for centuries, despite its exclusion from the New Testament. Writer and director Lotfy Nathan discovered the text through his father, a history buff, and saw it as a springboard for his supernatural thriller, "The Carpenter's Son," starring Nicolas Cage. The film, which also features FKA twigs and Noah Jupe, explores Jesus' youth as he grapples with temptation and rebellion. While the film's source material is rooted in the Infancy Gospel of Thomas, Nathan acknowledges that he had to fill in narrative gaps and create a storyline that wasn't present in the original text. Cage, who had read the Infancy Gospel of Thomas years ago, was drawn to the project's themes of family dynamics and existential crisis. Historians and scholars, such as Tony Burke from York University, attest to the Paidika's popularity and longevity in ancient Christian lore. However, many Christians today reject its legitimacy, citing conflicts with the Jesus of the Bible. The film's portrayal of Jesus as a young boy with supernatural powers, prone to punishing those who cross him, is a far cry from the Jesus of the canonical Gospels. Joan E. Taylor, a professor of early Christianity at King's College London, describes the Paidika as "quite disturbing" and notes that Jesus' actions in the text are often at odds with the moral compass expected of him. "The Carpenter's Son" is not the only recent film to reimagine the apocryphal gospel. "The Young Messiah," a 2016 drama based on Anne Rice's novel, also pulls from the Paidika. Both films reinterpret aspects of the text that are ostensibly at odds with the Jesus of the canonical Gospels. Nicolas Cage acknowledges the challenges of telling a story about Jesus on-screen, particularly when deviating from the canonical Gospels. Despite criticism from conservative Christian groups, Cage emphasizes that the film was made with love and respect for the source material. "The Carpenter's Son" hits theaters this Friday, offering a dark and unsettling take on the apocryphal text that has captivated audiences for centuries.