Netflix has officially set the release date for its upcoming Lord of the Flies adaptation, revealing when the four-part series from Adolescence’s co-creator will arrive.

When is Netflix’s Lord of the Flies release date?

Lord of the Flies will debut on the streaming platform on May 4, 2026. The series, based on William Golding’s dystopian classic, comes from Emmy-winning Jack Thorne, who co-created Adolescence, which was also a hit series for BBC and Netflix. Marc Munden (National Treasure, Help) also is attached to the project as a director.

Set in the 1950s, the series follows a group of English schoolboys who are deserted on a Pacific island. Amidst the chaos, two boys — Ralph (Winston Sawyers) and Jack (Lox Pratt) — emerge as the leaders. With no adults to supervise, the boys descend into madness as they slowly lose their innocence.

“In an attempt to remain civil, the boys organize themselves, led by Ralph and supported by the group’s intellectual, Piggy,” the synopsis reads. “But Jack, who is in charge of signal fire duty, is more interested in hunting and vying for leadership and begins to draw other boys away from the order of the group and ultimately from hope to tragedy.”

Lord of the Flies stars David McKenna as Piggy, Ike Talbut as Simon, Winston Sawyers as Ralph, Lox Pratt as Jack, Thomas Connor as Roger, Noah as Sam, Cassius Flemyng as Eric, Cornelius Brandreth as Maurice, and Tom Page-Turner as Bill.

While Lord of the Flies has been adapted into several projects, this marks the first-ever TV show based on Golding’s novel. Thorne is coming off the overwhelming success of Adolescence, the Emmy-winning limited series that became Netflix’s second-most-watched English-language show ever, behind Wednesday Season 1.