Netflix Acquires U.S. Rights for ‘Lord of the Flies’ Series From ‘Adolescence’ Creator

Netflix is officially adding the latest adaptation of a beloved 72-year-old novel to its streaming library. Less than a week after its release in the U.K., the acclaimed Lord of the Flies series from BBC has found a home in the United States. The first television version of the classic material comes after two feature-length adaptations from 1963 and 1990, directed by Peter Brook and Harry Hook, respectively.

Deadline reports that Netflix has acquired the U.S. distribution rights to BBC’s Lord of the Flies, which hails from Adolescence co-creator Jack Thorne. The four-part series was released on BBC iPlayer on Feb. 8, but it does not have a Netflix premiere date yet. Based on the William Golding of the same name, the adaptation was developed by Thorne and directed by Marc Munden, whose previous credits include The Sympathizer, Quantico, and Utopia, among many others. Like the original novel, the show follows a group of schoolboys stranded on a tropical island after a plane crash with no adults in sight.

The Lord of the Flies BBC adaptation stars Winston Sawyers as Ralph, Lox Pratt as Jack, David McKenna as Piggy, Ike Talbut as Simon, Thomas Connor as Roger, Noah Flemyng as Sam, Cassius Flemyng as Eric, Cornelius Brandreth as Maurice, Tom Page-Turner as Bill, Rafael de Belligny as Robert, Lake Coleman as Boy with Birthmark, Freddie Lee-Grey as Percival, Beau Thompson as Philip, and Fred Jones as Johnny. The series currently boasts a 78% on Rotten Tomatoes based on nine critic reviews. Read the official plot description:

Lord of the Flies is the story of schoolboys stranded on a tropical island with no adults, following a deadly plane crash. In an attempt to remain civil they organise themselves, led by Ralph and supported by the group’s intellectual, Piggy. But when Jack becomes more interested in hunting and vying for leadership, he soon begins to draw other boys away from the group and, ultimately, from hope to tragedy.

‘Lord of the Flies’ Creator Says “We’re Losing a Generation of Boys”

The ensemble cast of ‘Lord of the Flies’

BBC

From Adolescence to Lord of the Flies, it is not shocking that series creator and executive producer Jack Thorne gravitated toward the classic coming-of-age survival drama. In an interview with BBC, Throne talked about having “always wanted to do” a Lord of the Flies adaptation on the small screen, calling it the “perfect distillation of our contemporary problem” when it comes to the current state of male youth.

“I think, as a society, we’re having a conversation right now about boys. We’re losing a generation of boys and we’re losing it because of the hate they are ingesting – because it is an answer to their loneliness and isolation. The interesting thing about Lord of the Flies is that, I think, it’s a really loving portrait of boys. When I read it as an adult, I thought of it as a tender portrait of a lot of very complicated boys having a complicated relationship with their status and anger.”

His hit Netflix drama Adolescence, which followed a young boy being arrested for the murder of a classmate, followed similar ideas. While Lord of the Flies may be a more “loving portrait of boys,” there was a clear throughline for Thorne to draw from. And fortunately, Netflix subscribers will be able to watch his latest work on the streaming platform.