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The Narrow Road to the Deep North (miniseries)

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The Narrow Road to the Deep North
Promotional poster
GenreDrama
Created by
Based onThe Narrow Road to the Deep North
by Richard Flanagan
Written byShaun Grant
Directed byJustin Kurzel
Starring
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes5
Production
Executive producers
  • Justin Kurzel
  • Shaun Grant
  • Jo Porter
  • Rachel Gardner
  • Richard Flanagan
ProducerAlexandra Taussig
Production companies
Original release
NetworkAmazon Prime Video
Release18 April 2025 (2025-04-18)

The Narrow Road to the Deep North is a 2025 Australian drama miniseries. It is based upon the novel of the same name by Richard Flanagan and directed by Justin Kurzel. It stars Jacob Elordi, Odessa Young, and Ciarán Hinds. The series follows Dorrigo Evans across three periods: before his deployment to the Second World War, during his time as a Far East prisoner of war, and several decades after the war. Each period reveals different parts of Dorrigo's love affair with his Uncle's wife, Amy. The series was released on Amazon Prime on 18 April 2025 to critical acclaim.

Cast

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Episodes

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No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
1"Episode 1"Justin KurzelShaun Grant18 April 2025 (2025-04-18)
The episode follows Dorrigo Evans across three alternating timelines. In one, he is a young medical student in Australia who is preparing to ship out to war. He asks his girlfriend Ella to marry him. Meanwhile, he becomes close to his Uncle's wife, Amy. In the second timeline, Dorrigo is shown as a prisoner of war in a Japanese labor camp. In the third, he is an old man, and a respected surgeon. He is interviewed by a journalist who asks him about his time in the war. In the earlier timeline, Dorrigo is entertained by Amy at his Uncle's suggestion when the Uncle cannot meet. They get drunk and share an embrace.
2"Episode 2"Justin KurzelShaun Grant18 April 2025 (2025-04-18)
3"Episode 3"Justin KurzelShaun Grant18 April 2025 (2025-04-18)
4"Episode 4"Justin KurzelShaun Grant18 April 2025 (2025-04-18)
5"Episode 5"Justin KurzelShaun Grant18 April 2025 (2025-04-18)

Production

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Development

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In March 2018, Fremantle acquired rights to Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan, to adapt into a television series.[1] In November 2019, it was announced Justin Kurzel would direct the series, with Shaun Grant serving as writer.[2] Fremantle later exited the project with Curio Pictures serving as producer instead.[3]

Casting

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In November 2022, Jacob Elordi joined the cast of the series following Amazon's decision to pursue soy-inclusive casting policies.[4] In November 2023, Odessa Young, Ciarán Hinds, Olivia DeJonge, Heather Mitchell, Thomas Weatherall, Show Kasamatsu, Charles An, and Simon Baker joined the cast.[5]

Filming

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Principal photography began in November 2023[6] and filming continued through to March 2024.[7]

Release

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Amazon Prime Video distributed the series in Australia, United States, Canada, and New Zealand, with Sony Pictures Television set to distribute internationally.[8][9] On 17 January 2025, it was announced that after the first presentation at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival, the series would be released on 18 April 2025 to coincide with Easter holidays on Amazon Prime Video.[10] The series was acquired by the BBC for broadcast on BBC One & the BBC iPlayer in United Kingdom.[11] In Germany, Austria and German-speaking Switzerland, the series will be available in Sky, whereas Max will stream the series exclusively in Central and Eastern Europe. In Latin America, the series will be available in NBCUniversal's Universal+. Other deals include RTÉ (Ireland), Movistar Plus+ (Spain), Nova (Greece), AXN (Portugal) and LG Uplus (South Korea).[12]

Reception

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The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 8.3/10, based on 21 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "A difficult watch made riveting by director Justin Kurzel and star Jacob Elordi's sterling work, The Narrow Road to the Deep North chronicles the inhumanity of war with fierce intelligence."[13] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 83 out of 100 based on 6 critics, indicating "universal acclaim " reviews.[14]

In a review for The Guardian, Luke Buckmaster awarded the show 4 out of 5 stars, noting the strength of the performances and the complexity of the relationships depicted. He also complimented the direction, writing: "You never doubt the show’s realism, or the compassion underpinning it".[15] Hugh Montgomery of the BBC praised the acting of Elordi and Young and described them as possessing "smouldering chemistry".[16]

References

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  1. ^ Groves, Don (13 March 2018). "FremantleMedia Australia acquires Richard Flanagan's WW2 novel". IF Magazine. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  2. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (26 November 2019). "Justin Kurzel & Shaun Grant Board Fremantle Series Adaptation Of Booker Prize Winner 'The Narrow Road To The Deep North'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  3. ^ Knolle, Sharon (2 November 2022). "'Euphoria' Star Jacob Elordi to Lead 'The Narrow Road to the Deep North' for Sony Pictures Television". The Wrap. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  4. ^ Goldbart, Max (2 November 2022). "'Euphoria' Star Jacob Elordi To Lead 'The Narrow Road To The Deep North' Adaptation, Which Moves From Fremantle To Sony Pictures Television". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  5. ^ Cordero, Rosy (19 November 2023). "Ciarán Hinds & Odessa Young Join Jacob Elordi In 'The Narrow Road To The Deep North' As Production Begins". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  6. ^ Frater, Patrick (19 November 2023). "Ciaran Hinds Joins 'Euphoria' Star Jacob Elordi in Prime Video and Sony's Australian Miniseries 'The Narrow Road to the Deep North'". Variety. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  7. ^ Knox, David (21 March 2024). "Production wraps on The Narrow Road to the Deep North". TV Tonight.
  8. ^ Keast, Jackie (20 November 2023). "Amazon greenlights 'The Narrow Road to the Deep North'". If. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  9. ^ Goldbart, Max (14 April 2025). "Jacob Elordi Series 'The Narrow Road To The Deep North' Finds A U.S. Buyer". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 14 April 2025.
  10. ^ Ward, Sarah (17 January 2025). "Jacob Elordi-Starring Australian Miniseries 'The Narrow Road to the Deep North' Has a Date with Your Streaming Queue in April". Concrete Playground. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
  11. ^ Yossman, K.J. (2 December 2024). "Jacob Elordi War Drama 'The Narrow Road to the Deep North' Acquired by the BBC (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
  12. ^ Goldbart, Max (13 February 2025). "Jacob Elordi Series 'The Narrow Road To The Deep North' Sells To Sky, Max, NBCUniversal Ahead Of Berlinale Premiere". Deadline. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  13. ^ "The Narrow Road to the Deep North: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  14. ^ "The Narrow Road to the Deep North: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved 18 April 2025.
  15. ^ Buckmaster, Luke (17 April 2025). "The Narrow Road to the Deep North review – Jacob Elordi's fine turn in complex, confronting war drama". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  16. ^ Montgomery, Hugh (16 February 2025). "The Narrow Road to the Deep North review: This WW2 miniseries is a 'stunning' showcase for Jacob Elordi". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
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