Alex Garland's The Beach

Alex Garland's The Beach is a 2014 three part miniseries by HBO an based on the novel of the same name by Alex Garland. It tells the story of Richard, a young American backpackers search for a secret island paradise untouched by tourism in Bangkok. It is the second adaptation of the Beach, the first being the 2000 film staring Leonardo DeCapiro, the miniseries won a Primtime Emmy for Outstanding Miniseries.

Main Characters

 * Landon Liboiron as Richard - A young American backpacker on holiday in Bangkok, Thailand. He learns of a secret island paradise and sets out to find with the help of two young French lovers, Francoise and Eitenne, once there they at first enjoy life. However soon things turn sour and Richard is left uncertain of the beaches stability, later he marries Francoise after leaving the beach and has two sons with her.
 * TBA as Daffy (Master Duck) - A Scottish traveler who was one of the beaches three original founders. He gave Richard a map of the beach after meeting him in Bangkok, he then committed suicide by slashing his wrists shortly afterwards. He would later appear as a mental apparition to Richard later after his suicide.
 * Margot Lourdet as Francoise - A beautiful young French woman who is the girlfriend of Eitenne and the love interest of Richard. She and Eitenne joined Richard in looking for the beach after he showed them the map, later on she and Richard began to fall in love with each other and have sex whilst on a rice run. Later after leaving the beach she and Richard get married and have two sons.
 * Bill Skarsgård as Eitenne - A young French man who is the boyfriend of Francoise. He and Francoise met Richard whilst on holiday in Thailand, they accompanied Richard to the beach after being told of it by him.
 * Craig Lamar Taylor as Keaty -
 * Christopher Masterson as Jed - An Englishman who becomes closes friends with Richard and the communities watchman. He came to the beach uninvited after hearing a rumor about it whilst traveling in Vietnam, only Daffy was against his arrival.
 * TBA as Sal - An American woman who is one of the three original founders of the community and its leader.

Other Characters

 * Ashley Zukerman as Bugs - Sal's boyfriend from South Africa who is one of the three founders of the community and its carpenter. He has a dislike of Richard for unknown reasons and often insults him,
 * Justin Berfield as Zeph -
 * Tyler James Williams as Sammy -
 * TBA as Sanjay - A gay Indian came who was invited to the beach by Sal and Bugs after meeting them in India.
 * TBA as Rupert -
 * Alexander, Gustaf and Sam Skarsgård as Karl, Sten and Christo (The Swedes) - Three Swedish men who are the communities fishermen since they were the only ones who are comfortable with swimming into the islands flooded caves. They came to the island uninvited after overhearing Sal and Bugs talking about whilst on a rice run, Sten is only one of them who is fluent in English with Christo having fair knowledge and Christo have being able to speak a few words. Later they are attacked by a shark with Sten being killed, Christo badly wounded and later being mercy killed and Karl going crazy and escaping to the mainland.

Episodes
Episode 1, The Map -

Episode 2, Paradise -

Episode 3, Escape from the Beach -

Difference from the Novel
Whilst more faithful to the novel then the film, the miniseries has several changes made:
 * Richard is American like in the 2000 film.
 * Jed appears in the miniseries, in the original film he is absent completely.
 * Francoise joins Richard and Jed on the rice where she and Richard reveal their feelings for each and have passionate sex.
 * The characters Ella (who works for Unhygienix), Jean (the leader of the gardening detail), and Moshe (the head of the second fishing detail) do not appear in the miniseries.
 * There are two gay men in the miniseries, a Indian man named Sanjay and his boyfriend an Englishman named Rupert.
 * The miniseries setting is 2000, the same year that the film adaptation was released.