According to Deadline, Netflix continues to spend, as they recently nabbed the US streaming rights to the Jack Thorne( Adolescence, Wonder) adaptation of Lord Of The Flies. The series is produced by Eleven Film and One Shoe Films, owned by Sony and Throne, respectively. In the UK, the series will be available on the BBC and Stan for Australia.
Lord Of The Flies is one of the seminal works of the 21st century and is part of many high schools’ required reading. It has inspired a litany of modern series, including Lost and Yellowjackets. Deadline reported that the series had multiple buyers for US distribution and serves as a major acquisition for the streaming giant.
According to Deadline, in addition to the US and Australian market, the series has garnered international attention. Other buyers consist of (Iceland), U-NEXT (Japan), Yes (Israel), Globoplay (Brazil), Telia (Estonia), Telia Play (Lithuania), Tet+ (Latvia), Sky (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy), CBC (English-speaking Canada), Radio-Canada (French-speaking Canada), TVNZ (New Zealand), Syn HBO and HBO Max (Central and Eastern Europe and Poland) and beIN (across the Middle East and North Africa).
Deadline has reported that Stan and BBC have already premiered the series, beginning streaming on February 8th. The series will be part of the Berlin International Film Festival’s special programming. Last year, Sony also presented the series, Narrow Road to the Deep North , in association with Prime Video.
According to Deadline, This is the first time the novel has been adapted for the small screen. Netflix did make loose adaption of the series entitled The Society back in 2019 , via mxdwn. The Society took place in Conneticut instead of on island, but it still incorporated teenagers attempting to form a society. Marc Munden (The Sympathizer, The Third Day) directed the series, which tells the story of a group of boys stranded on a deserted island. Forced to form a society, Ralph attempts to lead the group with Piggy’s help from behind the scenes. Another boy, Jack, challenges their leadership, and the situation begins to unravel even further.
Deadline has reported that Winston Sawyer (The Crow Girl), Lox Pratt (Harry Potter), and David McKenna star in the series as Ralph, Jack, and Piggy, respectively. Joining them in the cast are Noah and Cassius Flemyng, Thomas Connor, Ike Talbut, and Cornelius Brandreth, via Deadline. With the one exception of Sawyer all the young actors are making their television debuts.
“Jack Thorne’s contemporary take on this timeless story is, in one word: Powerful,” said Mike Wald, Co-President, Distribution & Networks at SPT. “This first-ever television adaptation of the iconic novel delivers on every level, including its cinematic scope and transportive music, and we are thrilled with the incredible response that we have seen from buyers in every market,” via Deadline
According to Deadline, joining Throne and Munden behind the scenes is Callum Devrell-Cameron (Hannah, Black Doves). The score is composed by Cristobal Tapia de Vee (Baby Girl, Smile). Hans Zimmer (Dune, Inception) and Kara Talve (The Planets, The Simpsons) wrote the main theme and additional music. Executive producers for the series consist of Throne, Munden, Jamie Campbell (Gap Year, Sex Education), Nawfal Faizullah (Boarders, The Musketeers), Cailah Scobie (Transfusion, The Portable Door), and Amanda Duthie (Double The Fist, The Surfer).