Netflix series Boy Swallows Universe is a coming-of-age tale of Eli Bell and his brother August, both from a working-class neighborhood, and trying to navigate their way through the usual teenage traumas as well as more threatening situations such as domestic violence, drug dealers, and the underworld. The series is based on a book of the same name by author Trent Dalton, who would use his own experiences as the basis for his novel. Boy Swallows Universe was filmed entirely in Australia where the story takes place, so let’s take a closer look at the production to see how the authenticity of both the story and the setting were maintained.
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Where was Boys Swallows Universe filmed?
The entire production was filmed in Australia, which is not surprising as the series is set there. The book that the series is based on was written by journalist Trent Dalton who is based in Brisbane, Australia. The show and book were set in the housing estates found on the fringes of Brisbane during the 1980s so the crew was always going to film in locations that could recreate that period and landscape.
Reports would indicate that throughout the shoot the crew would film in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, and we can speculate that for interior sets the team would use Screen Queensland Studios, located in Brisbane, for everything else they needed.
Filming began in August 2022 and concluded in December of the same year.
Boy Swallows Universe Netflix Release Date
Boy Swallows Universe will drop exclusively on Netflix on January 11th, 2024. The series will have eight episodes and all of them will be available to stream on this release date.
Who produced Boy Swallows Universe?
Producers named in the show include Joel Edgerton, whom you might recall from the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Troy Lum, from Brouhaha Entertainment. That company was formed in 2021 and receives backing from the Calculus Creative Content EIS Fund, launched in 2019 to support British indie films. The company has offices in London and Sydney, Australia.
Que Minh Luu, Netflix’s Director of Content in Australia and New Zealand, would say the following about the series 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. As Australians, we know how much investing in local content matters. 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.”
Who stars in Boy Swallows Universe?
Gus and Eli’s mum is played by Phoebe Tonkin, who many fans will recognize from huge Australian productions H2O: Just Add Water and Tomorrow When the War Began. Felix Cameron plays Eli Bell, Lee Tiger Halley portrays Gus Bell, and Simon Baker, who you might know better as The Mentalist, is Robert Bell.
Safe pair of hands Bryan Brown plays Slim Halliday, and you will know him from Breaker Morant, FX: Murder by Illusion, and Give My Regards to Broadstreet. Here’s a full list of the credited cast:
- Travis Fimmel as Lyle Orlik
- Simon Baker as Robert Bell
- Phoebe Tonkin as Frances Bell
- Felix Cameron as Eli Bell
- Zac Burgess as Eli Bell
- Lee Tiger Halley as Gus Bell
- Bryan Brown as Slim Halliday
- Anthony LaPaglia as Tytus Broz
- Sophie Wilde as Caitlyn Spies
- Christopher James Baker as Ivan Kroll
- HaiHa Le as Bich Dang
- Isaac Strutt-Stevens as Christopher
- Deborah Mailman as Poppy Birkbeck
- Ben O’Toole as Teddy
- Emily Eskell as PC Daley
- Zachary Wan as Darren Dang
- Millie Donaldson as Shelly Huffman (17 years old)
- Eloise Rothfield as Shelly Huffman (13 years old)
- Matthew Knight as Prison guard, Boggo Road Jail
- Drew Matthews as Titch
