Netflix continuously churns out content, but there’s always a spark of joy when you see a homegrown Australian story. And while we wait for the return of Aussie success story Heartbreak High, Netflix is treating us to a different, equally famous, Aussie adaptation: Boy Swallows Universe.
What is Boy Swallows Universe?
First up, what even is Boy Swallows Universe?
It started as a 2018 book by Trent Dalton which went on to be longlisted for Australia’s prestigious Miles Franklin literary award and won four awards at the 2019 Australian Book Industry Awards.
The novel is a semiautobiographical tale of Dalton’s life and tracks a young boy growing up in some of the chaotic, heroin-fuelled suburbs of Brisbane in the 1980s. The main character, Eli, must enter the dangerous underworld in order to save his mother and hold his family together, whilst also dealing with coming-of-age issues like falling in love and unlikely friendships.
The book brought on a bidding war from Hollywood, with Anonymous Content, Chapter One and Hopscotch Features eventually securing the rights and doing a deal with Netflix Australia to turn it into an 8-part television series.
Now we’re fast approaching the release of Boy Swallows Universe on television, and Netflix has provided this plot synopsis of what to expect:
An epic coming-of-age story set in 1980s Brisbane that blends the magic and innocence of youth with the brutal reality of the adult world. A lost father, a mute brother, a recovering addict mum, a heroin dealer for a stepfather, and a notorious criminal for a babysitter. Eli Bell is just trying to follow his heart and understand what it means to become a good man, but fate keeps throwing obstacles in his way.
Adapted from Trent Dalton’s iconic Australian novel, Boy Swallows Universe explores the crossroads where a boy becomes a man, good toys with evil, and the everyday meets the extraordinary.
Please enjoy all the mullets, handball and suburban Brisbane vibes that Boy Swallows Universe has to offer in the trailer below.
Who is in the TV show?
The Australian industry has really rallied around Boy Swallows Universe, recruiting a top-notch crew and cast.
Key cast members include Simon Baker, Travis Fimmel, Phoebe Tonkin, Deborah Mailman, Anthony LaPaglia, Felix Cameron, Bryan Brown, Lee Tiger Halley, Sophie Wilde, Christopher James Baker, HaiHa Le, Ben O’Toole, Zachary Wan, Millie Donaldson and Eloise Rothfield.
Behind the scenes, the directors are Bharat Nalluri (Shantaram) and Jocelyn Moorhouse (The Dressmaker), with the scripts written by John Collee (Hotel Mumbai). Joel Edgerton also puts on his producer’s hat as an EP for the series alongside Troy Lum, Andrew Mason and Sophie Gardiner.
Boy Swallows Universe release date
The next question is when can we sit down and watch Boy Swallows Universe? Unfortunately, the series only has one of those cryptic “coming soon to Netflix” tags.
But given Netflix tends to release things in a fairly short window after it starts marketing them, we’d guess that Boy Swallows Universe will hit the streaming platform within the next few months.
We’ll keep you posted on more news as it happens. You can check out our list of other TV shows coming our way in 2023 to keep you entertained in the meantime.
Lead Image Credit: Netflix
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