A few years ago, there was a brief period of internet outrage when the rights to Lord of the Flies was acquired by Warner Bros and they announced that a new drama movie would be made, but about a group of schoolgirls instead of boys. Director Luca Guadagnino circled the project for a while, but has since moved onto other things.
It seems as though these plans have been shelved, but several Lord of the Flies inspired projects – on both film and TV – have surfaced in the years since. There was Netflix TV series The Society in 2019 that saw all of the adults vanishing and the teens having to rule a town in their stead.
In the world of film there’s been Bertrand Mandico’s The Wild Boys (2017), Karen Cinorre’s Mayday (2021), and Avalon Fast’s Honeycomb (2022). By far the two most high-profile takes on the concept, though, have been Showtime’s critically-acclaimed Yellowjackets, and Amazon Prime’s The Wilds. In the first season of The Wilds, a group of high school girls were stranded on a desert island. The second season sees them joined by a group of boys.
The EPs of The Wilds – Sarah Streicher and Amy B Harris – have now responded to the inevitable comparisons between their show and Yellowjackets. The first season of Yellowjackets came out after the first season of The Wilds.
Speaking to TV Line, Harris said; “It says women’s stories and young women’s stories are touching people, and people want to be in on it. I’m never quite sure why there is a moment where certain things get tapped at the same time, but the joy for me is there’s room for all of it.” Streicher said that she had watched Yellowjackets and “I had a thrilling time. I adore just the intensity of it all.”
Check out our guides to the best science fiction movies and the best fantasy movies.