'The Narrow Road to the Deep North' Arrives on Prime Video This April
Fabian McCallum, Eduard Geyl, Sam Parsonson, and William Lodder in "The Narrow Road to the Deep North"
(Photo: Ingvar Kenne/Curio/Sony Pictures Television)
Sweeping war epic The Narrow Road to the Deep North has finally bound a U.S. distributor, and its premiere date is sooner than anyone likely expected. Prime Video, whose Australian arm played a key role in the creation of the drama, has announced a surprise (and rather sudden) release of the series this April. (Technically, in just a few days' time.) It's also a surprise because back in February, just before it debuted at Berlinale, there were reports that HBO and Max were picking up the rights. Turned out they did... but only in Europe. With no American distributor and a global release on April 18, Amazon announced on April 13 that it had finally found one... Amazon's Prime Video.
The five-part Australian series is based on Richard Flanagan's 2014 Man Booker Prize-winning novel of the same name. Though it is a fictional account of the war, it is at least partially inspired by real stories, including the experiences of Flanagan's own father and the famous Edward “Weary” Dunlop. The Narrow Road to the Deep North follows the life of Lieutenant-Colonel Dorrigo Evans through the early days of the war, a passionate love affair with his uncle's wife, and his experiences as a Japanese prisoner of war when he was forced to work on the construction of the Thailand-Burma Railway. Over 13,000 Australians were put to work on the so-called "death" railway, which claimed the lives of over 90,000 Asian civilians and 16,000 prisoners, including 2,800 Australians. (Its construction is considered a war crime by Japan.)
Saltburn star Jacob Elordi plays Evans, with Ciarán Hinds (The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power) taking over the role as an older Evans, who remains haunted by his experiences and uncomfortable with his image as a war hero.
Jacob Elordi and Olivia DeJonge in "The Narrow Road to the Deep North"
(Photo; Ingvar Kenne/Curio/Sony Pictures Television)
Here's the series synopsis.
The series is a five-part saga charting the life of Dorrigo Evans, including his passionate love affair with Amy Mulvaney, his time held captive in a WW2 POW camp, and his later years as a revered surgeon and reluctant war hero. An intimate character study of a complex man, the epic drama is a compelling portrayal of the courage and cruelty of war and a timeless love story that sustains one through the darkest of times.
Alongside Elordi and Hinds, the series lead cast includes Odessa Young (Mothering Sunday) as Amy Mulvaney. Supporting cast includes Olivia DeJonge (The Staircase), Heather Mitchell (The Secrets She Keeps), Thomas Weatherall (Royal Flying Doctor Service), Charles An (Last King of the Cross), Shô Kasamatsu (Dear Patient), Taki Abe (The Wolverine), Simon Baker (The Mentalist), and Masa Yamaguchi (The Brighton Miracle).
The five-episode series is adapted and written by Shaun Grant (Snowtown) and directed by Justin Kurzel (The Order). Executive producers include Flanagan, Grant, and Kurzel, alongside Jo Porter and Rachel Gardner for Curio Pictures. Alexandra Taussig is the producer.
The Narrow Road to the Deep North will premiere with all episodes on Prime Video on Friday, April 18, 2025.
