Rewriting a classic: Cuckoo's Nest TV series announced

After decades of debate over the film's perspective, the upcoming series aims to right a long-standing wrong and bring a fresh lens to a timeless tale of rebellion, identity, and institutional control.

The film One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, starring Jack Nicholson, is without a doubt one of Hollywood's greatest classics. But despite its iconic status, not everyone is satisfied. Author Ken Kesey, who wrote the novel the film is based on, was deeply unhappy with the adaptation's point of view.

In the film, Nicholson takes centre stage as Randall P. McMurphy, but in the book, the narrator is actually Chief Bromden, played in the film by Will Sampson. This was something Kesey took serious issue with, as he believed the filmmakers diminished an important voice.

Now, however, it seems Kesey may finally be getting some justice. According to producer Paul Zaentz, an agreement has been signed with the author's widow to produce a new TV series based on One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest — this time told from Chief Bromden's perspective. This isn't the first time Cuckoo's Nest has been revisited either; the story has previously been explored from Nurse Ratched's point of view in the Netflix series Ratched.

However, many details about this new adaptation remain unclear, as no director or screenwriter has been attached to the project yet — nor is there any information on when or where it will be released.

Have you read the book One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest? And if so, do you prefer it over the film — or the other way around?