Set to become an Aussie classic, Trent Dalton’s 2018 novel Boy Swallows Universe is now being adapted for the screen by Netflix. The gritty coming-of-age story follows a young boy in pursuit of his dreams in the drug-fuelled underworld of 1980s Queensland. Its raw honesty and themes of brotherhood, love, and loss have certainly won its popularity amongst readers, who, like me, will be patiently waiting for its streaming arrival.
After its stage play adaptation, which wowed Brisbane in 2021, it’s now time for Boy Swallows Universe to get the screen treatment, with an eight-part series on the way. Since the Australian setting is paramount to the story, the series will come with a homegrown cast and crew. So far, only the executive producers have been announced, including Aussie actor and filmmaker Joel Edgerton.
Since its publication in 2018, Boy Swallows Universe has received an array of local awards, such as Book Of The Year, Literary Book of the Year, and Audiobook of the Year at the 2019 Australian Book Industry Awards. Harper Collins sold the television rights to the book back in 2019, so it looks like this news has been brewing for quite some time.
The series is in early stages of development, so it’s looking like we might have to wait a while before we see the show hit Netflix: at this point in 2023 or 2024.