Entertainment

Lord Of The Flies to be adapted for television as search begins for young cast

Jack Thorne (Ian West/PA)
Jack Thorne (Ian West/PA) Jack Thorne (Ian West/PA)

Classic book Lord Of The Flies will be adapted for television for the first time and the search is under way to find the young boys to star in the drama.

The 1954 novel by author William Golding follows a group of British boys who are stranded on an uninhabited island and their disastrous attempts to govern themselves.

Producer Eleven, the company behind Sex Education and Ten Pound Poms, has announced a call out for boys aged between 10-13 to be considered for a role in the four-part BBC drama, which will be written by Jack Thorne.

Thorne is best known for writing the stage play Harry Potter And The Cursed Child and TV series His Dark Materials, National Treasure, Help and The Accident, as well as the Enola Holmes movies.

Casting director Nina Gold, who has worked on Game Of Thrones and The Crown, will lead the casting process and shooting on the series is due to begin in Australia in April 2024.

1917 World Premiere – London
1917 World Premiere – London Casting director Nina Gold (Ian West/PA)

The production is looking for children aged between 10 and 13 to play the leading roles of the main boys, which is expected to be faithful to the book in its portrayal of the characters.

The children do not need to have had previous acting experience.

The book has previously been adapted into two films, one in 1963, directed by Peter Brook, and one in 1990, directed by Harry Hook.

William Golding
William Golding Lord Of The Flies author William Golding (Archive/PA)

It has also been made into a Filipino film and inspired numerous other projects, including the plane crash survivor drama Lost, which ran for six series from 2004, and the critically acclaimed TV series Yellowjackets, about a group of girls stranded in the Canadian wilderness after a plane crash, which recently concluded its second series.

Parents and guardians interested in Lord Of The Flies are asked to apply by email to lotf@ninagold.co.uk with a video filmed on a phone in which the boys tell the producers, in no more than 30 seconds, what they would like to have with them if they were stranded on a remote tropical island, and why.

They should also give their name, age, and general whereabouts in the UK.

Parents and Guardians must state their relationship to the applicant and that they have their permission to be considered for a role in this production.