Netflix has ordered a new five-part limited series adaptation of Ira Levin’s classic 1976 thriller novel, The Boys From Brazil. The project comes from Peter Morgan, the creator of The Crown, and will star Jeremy Strong in the lead role. Filming for the series is set to begin in December 2025 across several countries.
This new version is described as a part historical thriller and part moral reckoning. It explores themes of obsession, vengeance, and the persistence of hatred, asking a powerful question: When the world chooses to forget its darkest history, who will fight to keep the memory of that history and the pursuit of justice alive?
The Story Behind the Series
The series is set across three decades, from the immediate aftermath of World War II through the political turbulence of the 1970s. It follows Holocaust survivor and Nazi hunter Yakov Liebermann on his lifelong mission to bring Nazi fugitives to justice, a crusade that has personally cost him nearly everything.
The plot kicks into gear when one of Liebermann’s young protégées, working undercover in Brazil, uncovers a shocking Nazi plan. This discovery puts Liebermann in a race against time to expose a terrifying truth: Dr. Johann-Friedrich Meinhardt, a sadistic Nazi scientist he believed long dead, is actually alive and actively orchestrating a diabolical project aimed at sparking the rise of a Fourth Reich.
The story is based on Levin’s novel, which was previously adapted into a well-known 1978 feature film starring Gregory Peck and Laurence Olivier. That film received several Academy Award nominations.
Meet the Cast and Characters
The series has assembled a renowned cast to bring its intense story to life.
Jeremy Strong, known for his award-winning role in Succession, will take on the central part of Yakov Liebermann. He will be joined by August Diehl, who will play the villainous Dr. Johann-Friedrich Meinhardt. In the original novel and film, this character was based on the real-life Nazi doctor Josef Mengele, known as the “Angel of Death” for his horrific human experiments at the Auschwitz concentration camp.
The cast also includes several other major stars. Daniel Brühl will play Von Harteneck, and Gillian Anderson will take on the role of Frieda Steiner. Shira Haas stars as Anna Koehler, and Lizzy Caplan will play Hannah Liebermann.
The Creative Team and Production
The series is being helmed by a top-tier creative team. Peter Morgan adapted the novel for television and serves as an executive producer. He is joined by executive producer Suzanne Mackie for Orchid Pictures, who highlighted the significance of Morgan’s storytelling.
“Building on his extraordinary work with The Crown, Peter continues to examine the political and emotional forces which, through the 20th century, have molded the world we live in today,” Mackie said. “That he does so via the intimate human stories within the sweep of history makes his storytelling powerfully relatable.”
Simon Heath for World Productions is also an executive producer. The series will be solely directed by Alex Gabassi, who also executive produces. Gabassi has previously directed episodes of The Crown. Production is scheduled to begin in December 2025, with filming taking place in the United Kingdom, Germany, Bulgaria, and Spain.
Also Read:
The Source Material’s Lasting Impact
Ira Levin’s novel was a bestseller that skillfully blended thriller elements with the then-emerging science of cloning. The story follows Nazi hunter Liebermann as he investigates why Nazi operatives are targeting 94 seemingly ordinary civil servants across the world for assassination.
He eventually uncovers the sinister truth: the targets are the adoptive fathers of 94 young boys. These boys are not ordinary children; they are genetic clones of Adolf Hitler, created by Dr. Mengele (named Meinhardt in this new adaptation). The murders are designed to mimic the death of Hitler’s own father, with the goal of recreating the Führer’s upbringing and creating a new leader for a Fourth Reich.
While a work of fiction, the novel was notable for incorporating real-life figures like Mengele and basing its hero on famous Nazi hunters such as Simon Wiesenthal. A 2011 review in The Guardian noted that while the book has dated in some ways, its central premise about biological engineering has become less far-fetched with modern scientific advances.
The novel builds to a tense confrontation where Liebermann must confront the moral dilemma of how to stop the threat posed by the cloned children, ultimately making a choice that underscores the series’ themes about memory, justice, and the nature of evil.
Also Read: Jimmy Kimmel’s Cameo in Hacks Season 4 Became an Improvised Highlight
