Boy Swallows Universe, release date, streaming partner, trailer, cast, plot and more

Boy Swallows Universe is a seven-part upcoming Netflix series that will premier on January 11, 2024. It is a TV adaptation of Trent Dalton’s titular novel, which was published in 2018. The project is co-produced by Trent Dalton, Joel Edgerton, and Troy Lum from Brouhaha Entertainment. The project has been under development for three years, and was directed by Bharat Nalluri, Jocelyn Moorhouse, and Kim Mordaunt.

The series stars Felix Cameron as young Eli, Travis Fimmel as Lyle Orlik, Phoebe Tonkin as Frances Bell, Simon Baker as Robert Bell, Anthony La Paglia as Tytus Broz, Lee Halley as Gus Bell, Drew Matthews as Tich, Zachary Wan as Darren Dang, Eloise Rothfield as Shelly Huffman, Millie Donaldson as the older Shelly Huffman, Haiha Le as Bich Dang, and Sophie Wilde as Caitlyn Spies.

Shot and set in Brisbane, Australia, the story follows a young Eli Bell’s journey through the 1980s, as he deals with a complicated family life. His father is lost, his mother is in jail, his brother is mute, while his step-father deals in heroin.

And if life is not complicated enough Eli will be falling in love, fighting drug dealers and goons, and attempting to rescue his mom from the Boggo Road Gaol, all before beginning high school. A young boy with an old soul, all Eli wants is to follow his heart and be a good human.

Que Minh Luu, Netflix’s Content Director of Australia and New Zealand said in a press release, “Boy Swallows Universe is truly something special, and it’s an enormous privilege to partner with Trent Dalton, Joel Edgerton and Brouhaha Entertainment in bringing this genuinely iconic Australian story to Netflix.”

He continued by stating how important it is for Australians to invest in local content matters and that Boy Swallows Universe “is a major milestone in our mission to unearth uniquely local stories that bring joy and connection in unexpected ways to our audiences here at home, and throughout the world.”