The show has announced its young cast as the cameras roll in Malaysia.
William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, first published in 1954, has long been a seen as an English classic.
The tale considers human nature as a group of schoolboys stranded on a tropical island attempt to survive.
Famous as a 1963 movie, the story is now coming to the small screen as four-part television drama. It’s been written by playwright Jack Thorne (His Dark Materials) and is co-produced by the BBC and Australia’s Stan.
Here’s the official word:
Truthful to the original novel – set in the early 1950s on an unnamed Pacific island – Thorne’s adaptation delves further into the book’s emotive themes; human nature, the loss of innocence and boyhood masculinity. Each of the four episodes is titled after a character at the core of the story – Ralph, Piggy, Simon, and Jack – offering a subtly different perspective on the boys’ collective plight and manner in which they cope with their predicament. The series is being made with the support of Lord of the Flies author William Golding’s family.
The casting for the main roles has been announced, with many making their professional acting debuts.
David McKenna will play Piggy alongside Winston Sawyers as Ralph, Lox Pratt as Jack, Isaac Talbut as Simon, and Thomas Connor as Roger. Noah and Cassius Flemyng are the twins Sam and Eric, with Cornelius Brandreth as Maurice, and Tom Page-Turner as Bill. Plus, there’s an ensemble of more than twenty other boys playing the desert island camp’s “big ‘uns” and “little ‘uns”.
Also, composer Hans Zimmer (Dune) will co-create the series’ original score with Kara Talve (Tattooist of Auschwitz) for Bleeding Fingers Music.
Screenwriter and executive producer Jack Thorne says:
“I still can’t believe we have been given the opportunity to film this beautiful book. The first few days shooting show that our cast are extraordinary and that Marc is finding a whole new visual language in capturing the wonders of them and the beauty of Malaysia. He is an incredible storyteller. It is all so exciting.”
Director Marc Munden adds:
“This iconic novel of class, conflict and tender male friendship has never been more relevant. It’s a real privilege to be working with Jack Thorne once again, the wonderful cast of young actors we’ve assembled and the brilliant team at Eleven on this beautifully fresh adaptation.”
Lord of the Flies comes from Eleven and One Shoe Films production backed by Sony Pictures Television. The series writer is Jack Thorne, the director is Marc Munden and the producer is Callum Devrell-Cameron (Sex Education).
The series is filming now in Malaysia, ahead of further filming later this year in the UK.