Barbara Van Laar is missing. But there’s more to this story than meets the eye — and more than one disappearance to uncover. It will take an irrepressible young investigator, played by Stranger Things star Maya Hawke, to unravel the mystery of The God of the Woods.

Liz Moore’s bestselling 2024 novel, The God of the Woods, is getting a series adaptation from Netflix, with Moore (Long Bright River) and Liz Hannah (The Girl from Plainville, Mindhunter, The Post) serving as co-showrunners, writers, and executive producers. The series has just begun filming in upstate New York, in both the Hudson River Valley and the Adirondack Mountains.

“We’re thrilled to be filming in the state that inspired the story and the region where it’s actually set,” Moore and Hannah tell Netflix. “The Adirondacks have a fascinating history, and we feel inspired every time we’re there by the park’s beauty and complexity. We hope to do it justice on the screen.”

Hawke (Asteroid City, Do Revenge) will star as Judy Luptack, the first female investigator in the male-dominated Bureau of Criminal Investigation, who’s looking into the disappearance of a 13-year-old girl from a summer camp. BAFTA Award winner and Academy Award nominee Kerry Condon (Train Dreams, F1) will star as Alice Van Laar, the missing teen’s mother. 

“We love making TV and can’t wait to bring The God of the Woods to life with our partners at Sony and Netflix,” Moore and Hannah say. “We hope everyone falls in love (and hate) with these characters as much as we have.”

Produced by Sony Pictures Television, the new series follows the wealthy Van Laars as they fight to hold their family together, unearthing devastating secrets in the process. Neal H. Moritz and Pavun Shetty executive produce for Original Film. 

Read on to learn more about The God of the Woods.

What is The God of the Woods about?

Based on The New York Times bestselling novel, The God of the Woods is a multigenerational drama series set in the Adirondacks. It explores the Van Laar family’s dark secrets, class tensions, and the mysterious disappearance of 13-year-old Barbara Van Laar from her family’s summer camp — in the wake of an earlier family tragedy that may be related. As the past and present collide, the Van Laars’ wealth and influence unravel, revealing the damaging consequences of privilege and the abuse of power.

Who’s in the cast of The God of the Woods?

The cast of The God of the Woods includes: 

• Maya Hawke (Stranger Things, Inside Out 2, Wishful Thinking) as Judy Luptack. Smart and quietly determined, Judy is the first female investigator in the male-dominated Bureau of Criminal Investigation, and is assigned to unravel the disappearance of a young girl from a summer camp in upstate New York.
• Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin, Train Dreams) as Alice Van Laar. Hardened by the grief of a past family tragedy and trapped in a contempt-filled marriage, Alice is forced to face the unimaginable when her 13-year-old daughter goes missing.
• Damon Gupton (The Big Door Prize, Bates Motel) as Denny Hayes. A captain in the Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Denny is a well-intentioned investigator who struggles to maintain his well-protected peace with his new colleague, Judy Luptack, around.
• Ella Rubin (Sterling Point, The Idea of You) as Louise Donnadieu. A working-class counselor at Camp Emerson, Louise’s life is upended when one of her young campers goes missing.
• Susannah Perkins (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Politician) as T.J. Hewitt. T.J. is the quietly commanding director of Camp Emerson who quickly and confidently jumps into action when one of her campers goes missing.
• Benjamin Walker (The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, September 5) as Peter Van Laar III. Imposing, entitled, and humorless, Peter Van Laar III is the wealthy heir to the Van Laar estate. His behavior is a struggle for both his wife, Alice, and his 13-year-old daughter.
• Nell Fisher (Stranger Things, Evil Dead Rise) as Barbara Van Laar. An artistic and headstrong teen with a punk sensibility, Barbara joins Camp Emerson seeking refuge from her fraught family unit, and finds kinship with campers and counselors alike. While young, she has the maturity of someone forced to make serious decisions far too early on in life.
• Autumn Molina (A Really Haunted Loud House, The Lost Bus) as Tracy Jewell. A determined young camper at Emerson, Tracy makes it her mission to find her missing bunkmate, even if it means endangering her own life. 

When will The God of the Woods be on Netflix?

While filming has begun, there’s currently no release date for The God of the Woods. Stay tuned for more details as they become available.