Sure, it was a joke when SNL did it—but is an actual Adam & Eve blockbuster in Hollywood’s future?
On Saturday, Saturday Night Live guest host Lena Dunham starred in a digital short, riffing on the idea that Hollywood is currently obsessed with Bible stories, and that Dunham could channel her “Girls” persona (and trademark nudity) into the character of of Eve.
The irony here is that, if a major studio did decide to make an Adam & Eve film, it would probably be far less thoughtful than even this goofy parody. The sketch shows Dunham’s Eve questioning God’s edict about the tree of knowledge (“Are you saying that in like a, ‘I suggest you don’t,’ or in like a, ‘definitely don’t’ but with a side of ‘maybe do?’”) and suggesting that she shouldn’t get
punished for creating original sin, because at least it was original. Like her show, Girls, this version of Genesis frames the story around a central female character, an unlikeable but relatable protagonist who’s just trying to figure it all out. When was the last time you saw a Hollywood blockbuster like that?
No, a major motion picture would almost certainly come down to Adam and the snake, perhaps with Eve stuck in the middle, love-triangle style. No doubt the nudity from the SNL parody would also be abandoned—at least, in Adam’s case. (Eve would probably figure out how to create a PG-13-worthy pair of shorts, but get totally stumped on bra construction.) Adam would be elevated to some sort of superhero, summoning the animals for a big climactic battle against evil.
