The much-awaited crime thriller series- Boy Swallows Universe is all set to be released on Netflix on January 11, 2024. Boy Swallows Universe is a story of a young boy and his selectively mute brother who went on a suburban odyssey of love, redemption and retribution after their family is torn apart by a drug lord. Set in the backdrop of the 1980s in Brisbane, Boy Swallows Universe features 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 and more in the leading roles. Since, the story portrays the underworld of Brisbane that was on peak in the 1980s, the question arises whether Boy Swallows Universe is a true story or Boy Swallows Universe is a real story or not? Below is everything you need to know about Boy Swallows Universe's true story-
Is Boy Swallows Universe a true story?
The answer is yes and no at the same time. Netflix's Boy Swallows Universe is based on the semi-autobiographical novel of the same name by author & journalist Trent Dalton. The official synopsis of the movie says, "A lost father, a mute brother, a recovering addict mum, a heroin dealer for a stepfather, and a notorious criminal for a babysitter. Eli Bell is just trying to follow his heart and understand what it means to become a good man, but fate keeps throwing obstacles in his way. Coming to Netflix January 11, 2024."
Talking about Boy Swallows Universe's True Story, 12-year-old Eli Bell is the protagonist of the series. Eli Bell had a real-life friend known as Slim Halliday. Slim Halliday was the same infamous person who escaped from Boggo Road twice in the 1940s before being convicted of the 1952 murder of 23-year-old Gold Coast taxi driver Athol McCowan.
"The first memory I have, I’m a boy, I must be about four years old, and I’m sitting on this lounge in the outer western suburbs of Brisbane," Trent says in his book adding, "It’s a brown leather lounge and I’m in a brown and yellow shirt and I see a freckle on my thumb — the freckle comes through the book — and I look up and to the left of me is this man with red hair."
For the unversed, Eli's stepfather was a drug dealer. When Dalton would ask about his stepfather’s associates — “Who’s that guy, who’s that guy, what did he do?” — the answer would be, “Trent I’ll tell you when you’re older."
Later it was found out that the person was none other than Arthur 'Slim' Halliday. For the unversed, Arthur 'Slim' Halliday rose to fame in the 1940s as Boggo Road's most persistent and infamous escape artist. For sheer variety of methods, no one else matched him. During his prison career he made six known escape attempts, two of which were successful. He was originally sent to Boggo Road in 1939 to serve a five-year sentence for house-breaking. As it turned out, he got into so much trouble at the prison he ended up serving ten years.
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