The first-ever television series to be directly adapted from William Golding's famous 1954 novel, Lord of the Flies, is set to premiere in the United States on Netflix this week.
All four episodes of Lord of the Flies will be released on Netflix on Monday, May 4, at 12 a.m. PT / 3 a.m. ET.
British screenwriter Jack Thorne developed the series and also penned the scripts, while famour filmmaker Marc Munden directed all four episodes.
Both of those creatives have talked about their take on William Golding's book, one example being with a BBC interview that was conducted by Shola Lee on Feb. 2. There's also a Times piece by Andrew Billen in which showrunner Jack Thorne discussed his previous TV show Adolescence (2025) and how it shares similar themes to William Golding's tale.
"The world in which Golding was writing and the pain he was observing — I think we’re living in a very similar age now.”
What is Lord of the Flies about?
Dealing with hard-hitting themes of friendship, betrayal, hope, and tragedy, Lord of the Flies revolves around a group of British schoolboys who are stranded on an island, and they soon resort to violence in order to survive. Playing the protagonist in Ralph is an actor named Winston Sawyers, while Rochelle Neil and Rory Kinnear portray his mother and father, respectively.
Showing up as antagonist Jack Merridew is one Lox Pratt, whom fans can find on television later in the year through the upcoming Harry Potter TV show produced by HBO. The actor is set to appear as the baleful Draco Malfoy, yet another antagonist in a famous literary adaptation.
Last worth noting from this cast of child actors is the one who appears as Piggy, with David McKenna receiving great acclaim from the likes of Lucy Mangan as she wrote her review in The Guardian.
Here is the full cast list, via Netflix:
- Winston Sawyers as Ralph
- David McKenna as Piggy
- Ike Talbut as Simon
- Lox Pratt as Jack
- Thomas Connor as Roger
- Noah Flemyng as Sam
- Cassius Flemyng as Eric
- Rafael de Belligny as Robert
- Freddie Lee-Grey as Percival
- Cornelius Brandreth as Maurice
- Tom Page-Turner as Bill
- Beau Thompson as Philip
- Fred Jones as Johnny
- Rory Kinnear as Ralph's Father
- Rochelle Neil as Ralph's Mother
- Daniel Mays as Fred
There have of course been Lord of the Flies adaptations on the silver screens of cinemas, albeit to varying degrees of critical and commercial success. There had never been a TV adaptation of William Golding's novel before this Jack Thorne series, though for what it's worth, a popular show called Yellowjackets was greatly inspired thereby.
In fact, Yellowjackets was conceptualized as a direct adaptation, albeit with a roster of all-female characters. It's received great acclaim since its first season came out in 2021, and the fourth and final season is set to come out later this year.
Receiving similar praise, Lord of the Flies has been heralded as a masterful adaptation of William Golding's novel, and such outlets as BBC have called it among the finest shows of the year—at least, to this point.
Those in the U.K., New Zealand, and Australia have been able to watch Lord of the Flies since its premiere on Feb. 8, this revered adaptation will finally reach American households exclusively through Netflix on May 4. Be sure to check out the trailer before its impending release!
Stay tuned for more news about Lord of the Flies. We'll be covering the season on Show Snob.
Add us as a preferred source on Google