‘Lord of the Flies’ Boss Breaks Down Biggest Changes to the Novel and the Story’s Enduring Brutality: ‘Civility Isn’t Kind’

By Hunter Ingram

Hunter Ingram

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SPOILER ALERT: This post contains spoilers from “Lord of the Flies,” the 2026 adaptation now streaming on Netflix.

The kids are not all right. But they haven’t been, not really, since 1954 when William Golding’s landmark novel “Lord of the Flies” was first published.

The unfortunately timeless tale of the potential for savagery and survival within a group of young boys stranded on an deserted island has long shocked audiences for frankly depicting the cruelty of children — reflecting examples set by adults in their lives –– during moments of desperation. It has been adapted twice for English-language audiences: an acclaimed 1963 film directed by Peter Brook and an inferior Americanized 1990 version that was required high-school viewing for millennials.

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