“Lord of the Flies” looks set to become the latest film to feature an all-girl cast, with some critics stunned by the radical makeover plans. William Golding’s classic 1954 story was fundamentally built around a group of young boys stranded on an uninhabited island, their struggles to survive without adult supervision and guidance, and their descent into savagery. Yet Scott McGehee and David Siegel’s ambitious future remake will continue Hollywood’s recent trend to feature women in the leading roles, according to “Deadline” the Hollywood news site.
Echoes of 'Ghostbusters' reboot
The reboot echoes the approach adopted for the 2016 version of “Ghostbusters” as the hugely-successful original movie that featured Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Harold Ramis was updated to include the likes of Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig. They stepped in instead to prove that they too weren’t afraid of no ghost.
The change of tack is expected to continue next year as “Ocean’s Eight” is set to feature familiar female superstars such as Cate Blanchett and Helena Bonham Carter in the starring roles. Film fans will well remember that the "Ocean’s Trilogy" had centred around master criminal Danny Ocean and his male associates, but the new sequel / spin-off will involve his estranged sister Debbie as a heist queen instead.
Critics dismissive of the concept
Some critics have been left understandably confounded by the “Lord of the Flies” gender switch approach, suggesting that the insertion of girls into the narrative is at odds with the central theme of the novel. Feminist author Roxane Gay is among those voicing her concerns.
The 42-year-old American best-selling writer suggested on social media that the book’s plot “wouldn’t happen with all women.”
Gay’s views were backed by fellow writer Rachel Syme who thought that the book relates to “systemic male violence and how it replicates."
Golding’s thoughts on the matter
Girl power may be on the rise in the film industry, yet Nobel Prize-winning British author Golding would have probably added to the doubters himself, given his previous comments on the topic.
He was once quoted as saying that he had been previously asked why his tale didn’t feature a group of girls. His measured response is believed to have been that he was “once a little boy” and had “never been a sister or a mother or a grandmother.” That was why he had written it from the perspective of young boys.
Golding sought to diffuse any notions that his views and writing approach had anything to do with gender equality though and indeed his comments hint at his admiration for women. He said that he thought that “women are foolish to pretend they are equals to men” (since) “they are far superior and always have been.”
