Back in 2021, I wrote a heartfelt, nostalgia-drenched piece about my love for the 1978 film “The Boys From Brazil”—and let’s just say it did not go over well. Maybe I overestimated the number of people who still appreciate seeing Laurence Olivier, as an aging Nazi hunter, squaring off against Gregory Peck’s chillingly composed Josef Mengele in what might be the most unexpected dream-fight in cinema history. Or maybe I got a little too enthusiastic about the idea of the Jewish resistance fighting to stop the cloning of 94 young Hitlers (strictly in a cinematic sense, of course). Either way, our readership didn’t bite. And like any wounded writer, I did the only thing I could do: I sulked dramatically for five minutes, questioned the world’s taste in movies, and then moved on.
But today, I get a second chance, because “The Boys From Brazil” is getting a modern TV adaptation, courtesy of Netflix and Peter Morgan (creator of “The Crown”).
A new take on a controversial classic
Jeremy Strong, fresh off his “Succession” run and currently riding an Oscar nomination for “The Apprentice,” will take on Olivier’s role as Nazi hunter Yakov Liebermann. The story follows Liebermann, a Holocaust survivor, as he uncovers a terrifying global conspiracy led by the infamous Dr. Josef Mengele.
Morgan has been teasing this project since 2024, and he’s not holding back.
In an interview with Variety, he promised a high-stakes, blood-soaked adaptation that remains true to the original vision of Ira Levin, the author of the 1976 novel of the same name, on which the film was based. “There’s a really excessive amount of death,” he said. “Oh yeah. Oh no. I’m making sure of that.” Meanwhile, Forbes noted that Morgan’s take on “The Boys From Brazil” will lean into its darker elements, staying faithful to the novel’s disturbing themes of unchecked power, pseudoscience and the lingering threat of fascism.
This will also be Morgan’s first major project since “The Crown” wrapped in 2023, and given his reputation for meticulously researched political dramas (“The Queen,” “Frost/Nixon”), it will be fascinating to see how he approaches a conspiracy thriller with sci-fi elements.
Why this matters now
Like the original book and film, the action in “The Boys From Brazil” is set in the 1970s, but its themes—antisemitism, authoritarianism, the terrifying persistence of Nazi ideology—feel disturbingly relevant in 2025.
As for the Netflix adaptation, details are still scarce, but here’s what we do know: Strong’s Liebermann will go head-to-head with Mengele in a cat-and-mouse game that spans continents. And given Morgan’s track record, we can expect a mix of historical drama and psychological intensity.
So, if you missed my first “Boys From Brazil” love letter, consider this your second chance. And if this article bombs, too? Well, I guess I’ll just have to wait until the third remake.
