Two of Jack Thorne’s recent projects have a fair bit in common.
Thorne told a screening last week of his adaptation of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies that, “A bit of Golding slipped into Adolescence and a bit of Adolescence slipped into Golding,” according to reports from the screening.
In show notes just released by the BBC, Thorne elaborated. “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,” he said.
Adolescence, which is Netflix’s second-most watched English language show of all time, of course dealt plentifully with the theme of “losing a generation of boys” and Lord of the Flies, which was published more than 50 years ago, revolves around similar themes.
The book tells the story of a group of boys stranded on an island who become more and more feral as their reality sets in. A group of newcomers are acting the main parts in Thorne’s adaptation for the BBC and Australia’s Stan including Lox Pratt, who is also playing Malfoy in HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter series.
Thorne added: “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.”
The TV series is the first adaptation since the Harry Hook movie, which starred Balthazar Getty. Sex Education producer Eleven is behind the series. Distributor Sony Pictures Television is selling abroad and hasn’t yet landed a buyer in the U.S.
The show launches in the UK on Sunday, replacing The Night Manager in the coveted Sunday night slot.
English (US) ·