Producer Lindsey Anderson Beer has revealed that her anticipated Lord of the Flies remake will lean heavily into psychological horror. The filmmaker, who also noted that the new adaptation will with be fueled by ideas that will resonate with contemporary viewers, shared the news while speaking to Collider about the feature.
During the interview, Anderson Beer teased what the movie’s helmer, Luca Guadagnino, has in store for viewers with the project. “It leans so much into psychological horror and it’s so rich in character drama, as you would expect from somebody like [Guadagnino],” she said.
“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,” the producer continued.
Anderson Beer added: “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.”
Based on the iconic 1954 novel of the same name by William Golding, the upcoming Lord of the Flies remake was announced in July 2019. News surrounding the drama has been relatively quiet since then. However, it was announced in 2020 that A Monster Calls and Chaos Walking scribe Patrick Ness is writing the screenplay for the upcoming film.
Some reports of a new adaptation had previously claimed it would focus on female characters. However, it’s now being reported that Guadagnino’s remake will stick more closely to its source material.
“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,” Anderson Beer pointed out.
Lord of the Flies has had three straightforward movie adaptations so far. The story has also inspired numerous films and television shows since the novel’s release, including Showtime’s Yellowjackets and 2018’s Ladyworld. Peter Brook helmed a Lord of the Flies film in 1963, and then Harry Hook directed a feature adaptation in 1990. Lupita A. Concio also adapted the story into a 1975 movie called Alkitrang Dugo.
While the WGA’s writers’ strike was recently resolved, SAG-AFTRA’s actors’ strike is still ongoing. So there aren’t any current plan in place for when the new Lord of the Flies remake’s shooting schedule can proceed.
The writers and actors’ strikes that have been impacting the entertainment industry aren’t the only potential complications that may delay the production of the new Lord of the Flies screen adaptation, however. Both Guadagnino and Anderson Beer’s busy schedules may also delay further developments on the drama.
Guadagnino has multiple movie and television projects on the horizon, including a sequel to his Academy Award-winning 2017 romantic coming-of-age drama, Call Me by Your Name. He’s also helming and producing the period drama Queer, which stars Daniel Craig, Drew Starkey, Lesley Manville and Jason Schwartzman.
The filmmaker, who’s also known for the 2018 Suspiria remake and last year’s Bones and All, is also preparing to release the sports romantic comedy-drama, Challengers. The movie, which stars Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist, was originally intended to be released on September 15, 2023. However, it was delayed until April 2024 due to the SAG-AFTRA strike.
Anderson Beer, meanwhile, is also attached to several projects, including new adaptions of Short Circuit and Sleepy Hollow. She also made her feature film directorial debut on the upcoming horror fantasy prequel, Pet Sematary: Bloodlines.
Golding’s Lord of the Flies novel is often considered to be a significant piece of literature for a number of reasons. It’s most lauded for its depiction of a group of boys who are stranded on an island, which serves as an all-too-real reflection of the breakdowns of a society.