Global Creatures has secured the stage rights to develop and produce a live stage theatrical adaptation of Trent Dalton’s award-winning novel Boy Swallows Universe.

No creative team or timeline has been revealed for the stage adaptation of Harper Collins Australia's 2018 international bestseller, which has sold over a million copies and been published in 34 territories. 

The property, also adapted into a seven-part Netflix series, is set in 1985 Brisbane and follows Eli Bell, who is trying to follow his heart and understand what it means to be a good man. Fate, however, keeps throwing obstacles in his way, including Brisbane drug dealer Tytus Broz. And, he's about to meet the father he doesn't remember, break into Boggo Road Gaol on Christmas Day to rescue his mom, come face to face with the criminals who tore his world apart, and fall in love with the girl of his dreams.

Global Creatures producer and Tony winner Carmen Pavlovic said in a statement, “Trent Dalton is one of the most dynamic voices in Australian literature, and his thrilling debut novel Boy Swallows Universe is one of my favorite books ever. I’m honored to collaborate with Trent to reimagine his remarkable and deeply personal story for the stage. The show promises to be a theatrical event that brings to life the powerful and uplifting worlds of brothers Eli and Gus.”

Writer Dalton added, “I am so frequently awed by what Carmen Pavlovic and Global Creatures are able to create for theatrical stages across the world. Absolute Oz-made international bar raisers. They always seem to me to be chasing the kind of electrifying soul wallop that I tried to bring to Boy Swallows Universe, back when that more-than-semi-autobiographical story first broke loose from the rusty prison bars of my heart and turned itself into a book. It’s nothing less than a theatrical dream come true for me to embark on this journey with a global team as profoundly protective of where that story comes from as it is electrified by its creatively boundless and geographically borderless theatrical potential.”

Global Creatures has developed and launched six productions across four continents, including Moulin Rouge! The Musical, King Kong, Muriel’s Wedding The Musical, Strictly Ballroom The Musical, How to Train Your Dragon, and Walking With Dinosaurs The Arena Spectacular.

Dalton's subsequent books include All Our Shimmering Skies, Love Stories, Lola in the Mirror, and Gravity Let Me Go.