Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer is to score a new version of Lord Of The Flies for the BBC.
William Golding’s 1954 novel is being adapted for TV for the first time, and will consist of four 60-minute episodes.
The BBC has also announced the young cast, some of whom have no professional experience, who will portray the group stranded on a deserted island following a deadly plane crash.
Zimmer, 66, who won the Academy Award for Best Original Score for The Lion King in 1994 and Dune in 2021 and has been nominated a further 10 times, has already begun working on the music for the new series.
Filming for the drama – written by His Dark Materials’ Jack Thorne, directed by Marc Munden and executively produced by Eleven’s Joel Wilson and Jamie Campbell – is now under way in Malaysia, ahead of further shooting in the UK later this year.
The cast includes David McKenna, who will play the loyal character Piggy, and Winston Sawyers as charismatic leader Ralph.
Noah and Cassius Flemyng, the sons of Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels actor Jason Flemyng, have been cast as the twins Sam and Eric, with Cornelius Brandreth as Maurice, Lox Pratt as hunter and bully Jack, and Tom Page-Turner as Bill.
Thorne said: “I still can’t believe we have been given the opportunity to film this beautiful book.
“The first few days shooting show that our cast are extraordinary and that Marc is finding a whole new visual language in capturing the wonders of them and the beauty of Malaysia. He is an incredible storyteller. It is all so exciting.”
The drama takes place on an unnamed Pacific island in the early 1950s, and the episodes will be titled Ralph, Piggy, Simon, and Jack to give different perspectives on the group’s predicament.
The programme is being made with the support of Golding’s family.
Wilson said: “Marc is a visionary. It is a privilege to witness his skill in working with our young actors as he brings Jack’s scripts to life.
“The visual language he has developed with Mark Wolf, our cinematographer, would be a thing to behold in any environment.
“Here, capturing our excellent cast in the jungle, mountains and beaches of Malaysia, it is extraordinary.
“Hans has already shared his first sketches for the score, which are hugely inspiring. We are honoured to be working with him.
“I’m writing this as I watch our cast of more than 30 boys (between the ages of five and 13) file up our mobile jetty on to the beach, feeling delighted we made this happen.”
