Luca Guadagnino is in negotiations to direct Warner Bros.’ adaptation of the classic William Golding novel “Lord of the Flies,” an individual with knowledge of the project tells TheWrap.
If he directs, Guadagnino is also in negotiations to produce the film along with Marco Morabito. Known Universe, the production company founded by Lindsey Beer and also including Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Nicole Perlman, are in negotiations to executive produce.
No screenwriter has been set on the film yet.
“Lord of the Flies” is the story of a group of school boys who become stranded on a deserted island and over time find themselves devolving into savages of their basest nature.
When Warner Bros. first acquired the rights to “Lord of the Flies” back in 2017, it was announced that the project would be a gender-flipped take on the story, with a group of school girls taking the place of the boys. That idea was met with backlash online, and an individual tells TheWrap the film does in fact focus on a male cast as in the original novel.
Executive Peter Dodd is overseeing the project for the studio.
Guadagnino is currently in pre-production on the miniseries “We Are Who We Are” for HBO, and it’s unclear if this would be his next film. The “Call Me By Your Name” director was also attached to direct “Blood on the Tracks,” which is inspired by the Bob Dylan album of the same name. Guadagnino last directed the remake of the Italian horror film “Suspiria.”
Guadagnino is represented by WME.