Netflix‘s upcoming adaptation of The Boys from Brazil just took a significant step forward, as it has added Gillian Anderson and Daniel Brühl to its cast. The series, which is an adaptation of the Ira Levin book of the same name, was announced earlier this year and is set to head into production next month across Europe. Joining Strong, Anderson, and Brühl are August Diehl, Lizzy Caplan, and Shira Haas.
Variety revealed the casting additions, with The Boys from Brazil set to be the next significant production from filmmaker Peter Morgan. The new project marks a reunion between Morgan and Anderson, as the two previously collaborated on Netflix’s The Crown, which Morgan created. Morgan will also serve as a producer on The Boys from Brazil, as will Suzanne Mackie, who shared in a statement:
“Building on his extraordinary work with The Crown, Peter continues to examine the political and emotional forces which, through the 20th century, have moulded the world we live in today. That he does so via the intimate human stories within the sweep of history makes his storytelling powerfully relatable. We’re thrilled to have assembled such an exceptional team, both in front of and behind the camera and to be working with the super-talented director, Alex Gabassi again for this new limited series for Netflix. We can’t wait to bring Peter Morgan’s bold reimagining of Ira Levin’s The Boys from Brazil to the screen.”
The novel was previously brought to life as a film in 1978, which was directed by Franklin J. Schaffner and starred Gregory Peck, Laurence Olivier, Lilli Palmer, Uta Hagen, and Steve Guttenberg.
What Can Fans Expect From a New ‘The Boys From Brazil’?
The official logline of the new film as released by Variety is as follows:
“Set across three decades from the immediate aftermath of WW2 through the political turbulence of the 1970s, The Boys from Brazil follows Holocaust survivor and Nazi hunter Yakov Liebermann (Strong), in his lifelong crusade to bring Nazi fugitives to justice, a crusade that has cost him nearly everything. When one of his young protégées undercover in Brazil learns of a shocking Nazi plan, Liebermann is in a race against time to expose an unimaginable truth: Doctor Johann-Friedrich Meinhardt (Diehl), a sadistic Nazi scientist he believed long dead, is alive and orchestrating a diabolical project to spark the rise of a Fourth Reich.”
Much like Levin’s novel Rosemary’s Baby, his Boys from Brazil has a pulpy premise, though with the impressive talent attached to the project and given Morgan’s previous works, this new take on the material will likely be a more grounded exploration of the subject. Without revealing the complete details of the story, it’s safe to say the story goes into some unexpected and surprising directions. It’s currently unclear just how heavily Morgan’s adaptation will delve into the more outlandish and sci-fi elements the project will go, though based on the success of Prime Video’s The Man in the High Castle and, more recently, the two-season Hunters, we shouldn’t expect this contemporary take to completely shy away from genre elements.