Maya Hawke Officially Starring In Netflix’s New Series Adaptation Of Barack Obama-Approved Bestselling Crime Thriller Novel

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Maya Hawke is teaming up with Netflix for another show, but this one will be quite different in style and story compared to Stranger Things.

Netflix has announced that Maya Hawke will star in its upcoming series based on Liz Moore’s popular mystery thriller, The God of the Woods. Hawke will play Judy Luptack, a clever and determined investigator who is trying to find a young girl who has gone missing from her family’s summer camp.

Released in 2024, The God of the Woods centers on the Van Laar family and two puzzling disappearances. When 13-year-old Barbara Van Laar vanishes from her family’s summer camp in the Adirondack Mountains, it echoes a similar mystery from over a decade earlier. Told through multiple timelines and the viewpoints of various characters, the novel follows Judy Luptack’s investigation as she uncovers hidden secrets surrounding both disappearances.

Actress Hawke will be a main character in the new Netflix series based on the book. Her character is significant because she’s the first woman to work as an investigator in the traditionally all-male Bureau of Criminal Investigation. The show is also expected to feature several other key characters, including teenager Barbara Van Laar, her parents Alice and Peter Van Laar III, TJ Hewitt, Vic Hewitt, counselor Louise Donnadieu, Tracy Jewell, Peter “Bear” Van Laar IV, and Denny Hayes, who mentors the main character.

After its release, the novel quickly became popular, staying on The New York Times Bestsellers List for much of 2024 and 2025. It gained even more attention when readers like Taylor Swift and Barack Obama praised it – President Obama even included it on his list of favorite summer reads for 2024.

The new Netflix series, The God of the Woods, is created by Liz Moore, who wrote the original book, and Liz Hannah, a writer previously recognized for her work on Netflix’s Mindhunter. Moore also co-created and executive produced the Peacock series Long Bright River, based on her own novel, which premiered in March 2025 and featured Amanda Seyfried.

Netflix has announced that a new series, The Good of the Woods, is “coming soon,” though a release date hasn’t been set. This series will follow Maya Hawke’s conclusion of her role as Robin Buckley in the final season of Stranger Things, which is expected in December 2025. Hawke first appeared as Robin in season 3 of the popular Netflix show. She recently starred alongside Lewis Pullman in the sci-fi film Wishful Thinking, which premiered at SXSW.

Maya Hawke has several exciting projects on the horizon. In addition to her film The God of the Woods, she’ll be appearing in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping (due out in November 2026) as a younger version of Wiress. This summer, she’ll star in Will Gluck’s One Night Only, and this spring, she’s launching a concert tour to support her music.

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2026-03-20 00:50