boy swallows universe trent dalton
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Trent Dalton’s Boy Swallows Universe adaptation has wrapped — here’s what we know so far

The coming-of-age series will be released this year.

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WRITTEN BY Anita Anabel / Edited BY Anita Anabel
28 February 2023 , 4 minutes to read

Production of the Netflix adaptation of Trent Dalton’s debut iconic Australian novel, Boy Swallows Universe, has wrapped following filming.

The popular coming-of-age book with themes of love, crime, magic and fate has now been brought to life by streaming giant Netflix after first being unveiled in March 2022.

Dalton has played a large part in the eight-part series, as has actor and producer Joel Edgerton, who most recently appeared in Master Gardener and Disney’s Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Here’s everything we know about the adaptation.

Travis Fimmel in Boy Swallows Universe
Travis Fimmel in Boy Swallows Universe. Source: Netflix.

What is Boy Swallows Universe about?

Boy Swallows Universe is a story of brotherhood, true love and the most unlikely of friendships.

The official Netflix synopsis reads: “Eli Bell’s life is complicated. His father is lost, his mother is in jail, and his stepdad is a heroin dealer. The most steadfast adult in Eli’s life is Slim — a notorious felon and national record-holder for successful prison escapes—who watches over Eli and August, his silent genius of an older brother.

“Exiled far from the rest of the world in Darra, a neglected suburb populated by Polish and Vietnamese refugees, this twelve-year-old boy with an old soul and an adult mind is just trying to follow his heart, learn what it takes to be a good man, and train for a glamorous career in journalism.

“Life, however, insists on throwing obstacles in Eli’s path—most notably Tytus Broz, Brisbane’s legendary drug dealer, but the real trouble lies ahead.

“Eli is about to fall in love, face off against truly bad guys, and fight to save his mother from a certain doom—all before starting high school.”

Who is in the cast of Netflix’s Boy Swallows Universe?

Young Eli and Gus Bell will be played by Felix Cameron (Penguin Bloom) appearing as Eli Bell, and Lee Tiger Halley (The Heights) as Gus Bell.

Travis Fimmel (Vikings) stars as Lyle Orlik — Eli’s heroin dealer step-dad while Simon Baker (The Mentalist) as Robert Bell and Phoebe Tonkin (Babylon) will play the role of Frances Bell.

Phoebe Tonkin and Travis Fimmel in Boy Swallows Universe
Phoebe Tonkin and Travis Fimmel in Boy Swallows Universe. Source: Netflix.

Other characters central to the lives of Eli and Gus are played by Bryan Brown (Cocktail) as Slim Halliday, Anthony La Paglia (Nitram) as Tytus Broz, and Sophie Wilde (You Don’t Know Me) in the role of Caitlyn Spies.

Christopher James Baker (True Detective) as Ivan Kroll, HaiHa Le (Hungry Ghost) as Bich Dang, Deborah Mailman (The Sapphires) as Poppy Birkbeck, Ben O’Toole (Hacksaw Ridge) as Teddy, Zachary Wan (Never Too Late) as Darren Dang and Millie Donaldson and Eloise Rothfield will play the roles of 17 and 13-year-old Shelley Huffman, respectively. 

When will Boy Swallows Universe premiere?

No air date has been set for Boy Swallows Universe; however, we do know it will be released later this year!

Boy Swallows Universe coming soon to Netflix.

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