Netflix Sets May 4, 2026 Premiere for Jack Thorne's Lord of the Flies

Netflix has set a May 4 premiere for Jack Thorne’s television adaptation of William Golding’s 1954 novel Lord of the Flies. Thorne wrote the limited series and Marc Munden, known for The Sympathizer, directed all four one-hour episodes.

The story follows a group of boys stranded on a tropical island after a plane crash, with Winston Sawyers as Ralph, David McKenna as Piggy and Lox Pratt as Jack. The production assembled an ensemble cast of more than 30 boys to portray the “biguns” and “littluns,” including Ike Talbut, Thomas Connor, Cornelius Brandreth, Tom Page-Turner and twins Noah and Cassius Flemyng.

Produced by Eleven and One Shoe Films with backing from Sony Pictures Television, the series features music by Oscar winner Hans Zimmer alongside Kara Talve and Cristobal Tapia de Veer. Critics have responded positively, with the show holding a 91% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Thorne’s adaptation marks the first small-screen telling of Golding’s novel and will arrive on Netflix on May 4.

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