Director Luca Guadagnino is directing a movie remake of Lord of the Flies, and the upcoming adaptation of William Golding’s novel will lean into the tales untapped potential as a psychological horror. There have been multiple adaptations of Lord of the Flies, the now-classic tale of young schoolboys marooned on an island in the pacific. Peter Brook’s 1963 Lord of the Flies film and Harry Hook’s 1990 version both drew acclaim when they were released. Next, it’s Suspiria remake director Luca Guadagnino’s turn to bring the story of Ralph, Jack, and the ill-fated Piggy to the big screen for Warner Bros.
While details on the director’s approach to the new Lord of the Flies movie are scarce, development is moving steadily. It’s known that Guadagnino, who rose to prominence directing the 2019 remake of Suspiria, will be leaning into psychological horror in ways previous adaptations never have. The original William Golding novel is now a classic that’s been dissected in schools for decades, making Lord of the Flies both one of the widely known stories and, by extension, highly anticipated whenever a movie adaptation is on the way.
Most Recent Lord Of The Flies Remake News
The most recent news on Warner Bros.’s new Lord of the Flies movie came in September 2023. Lindsey Anderson Beer, director of Pet Sematary: Bloodlines is producing, and she spoke to Collider about what to expect from Luca Guadagnino and screenwriter Patrick Ness’s version of the tale. Anderson Beer teased that the upcoming Lord of the Flies remake will veer further into the territory of psychological horror than previous versions.
“It leans so much into psychological horror and it’s so rich in character drama, as you would expect from somebody like him. But it’s scary. It gives you so much unease reading it, and I think it taps into a more current version of it than we’ve seen before.” Lindsey Anderson Beer revealed in an interview when asked about the Suspiria director’s approach to Lord of the Flies, “I think some people have tried to tackle that property in a way that doesn’t really resonate to now, and I think that the whole approach has been very fresh and refreshing.”I think some people have tried to tackle that property in a way that doesn’t really resonate to now, and I think that the whole approach has been very fresh and refreshing.”
Luca Guadagnino’s Lord Of The Flies Movie Remake Is Confirmed
The Luca Guadagnino-directed Lord of the Flies remake was first confirmed in 2019 (via Variety). The latest movie version of the class William Golding novel is the second recent attempt by Warner Bros. to bring the property to screens, with a since-scrapped proposal in 2017 with Scot McGehee and David Siegel reaching early development prior to cancelation. This version would have seen Lord of the Flies remade with an all-female cast. The current version of the reboot from Luca Guadagnino and producer Lindsey Anderson Beer is reportedly not gender-swapping the story, opting to cast it conventionally.
Lord Of The Flies Remake Release Date
There’s currently no release date for the Lord of the Flies remake. Luca Guadagnino’s adaptation of William Golding’s story is likely still several years away from having a release date since development is still ongoing on scripts and story development. Once filming starts it will be possible to predict a release date with more certainty, but as it stands the new Lord of the Flies could arrive as soon as 2025 or as far away as 2027-2028, depending on when production actually begins.
Lord Of The Flies Remake Cast
There haven’t been any casting announcements yet for the Lord of the Flies remake. Given that most of the characters in the story are young boys, director Luca Guadagnino will likely have to rely on up-and-coming talent to fill roles like Ralph, Jack, Simon, and Piggy. In the story the boys are 12, so the remake cast will likely be a similar age unless Guadagnino and producer Lindsey Anderson Beer opt to age the characters up a little. Previous versions, like the 1990 Lord of the Flies adaptation, cast age-appropriate actors — which, considering they’re so young, adds to the impact of the story significantly.
A controversial proposal for a Lord of the Flies remake emerged in 2017, which would have been directed and written by Scott McGehee and David Siegel (via Deadline). This version of the movie from Warner Bros. would have seen Lord of the Flies retold with a female cast. While this idea for a rebooted version of William Golding’s novel failed to get off the ground, it did inspire screenwriter Ashley Lyle to create hit Showtime series Yellowjackets (via InsideHook).
Lord Of The Flies Story: How Will The Remake Be Different From Previous Movies?
The Lord of the Flies remake from Suspiria and Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino is expected to follow the classic 1954 novel written by William Golding. In the novel, a group of British schoolboys are marooned on an uninhabited island in the Pacific Ocean. With no adult supervision or hope of rescue, the boys quickly become tribal, with two groups emerging. One is led by Ralph, the hero of the story, who tries to hold onto reason and morality. The other, led by antagonist Jack, gives in to their more savage instincts.
The boys are eventually rescued by a bemused Naval officer, but not before one of the boys — Piggy — is murdered (a common misconception is that Jack’s tribe then practices cannibalism and eats Piggy, but this doesn’t actually happen). Lord of the Flies is a story that, at its core, is about the loss of innocence. However, the upcoming remake from Luca Guadagnino will focus much more on the tale’s potential for psychological horror.
While there was no scene in the original book where Jack’s tribe resorted to cannibalism, for example, the potential for it is clear. There are many elements of the story that lend themselves to a horror interpretation, and it’s incredibly promising that the Suspiria director will lean into them with the Lord of the Flies remake plot. Screenwriting will be handled by Chaos Walking author Patrick Ness (via THR).
Lord Of The Flies Remake Trailer
There’s no trailer yet for Luca Guadagnino’s Lord of the Flies remake. The first teasers and promo footage will arrive much closer to the eventual release date, as currently, development on the scripts is still ongoing.
