December 17, 2025
PROVIDED IMAGES/PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE; MAGGIE CASEY
Netflix has ordered a series adapatation of 'The God of the Woods,' the bestselling novel from Temple University professor Liz Moore.
Philadelphia-based author and Temple University professor Liz Moore will be the showrunner for a Netflix adaptation of her bestselling crime novel "The God of the Woods," the streaming giant said Wednesday.
The upcoming project will be the second TV adaptation of a novel written by Moore, who serves as the director of the Temple's creative writing program. "Long Bright River," her 2020 novel about a woman's disappearance in drug-ravaged Kensington, was turned into a Peacock series that debuted last year and earned a Golden Globe nomination for star Amanda Seyfried.
"The God of the Woods," released last year, takes place in the Adirondack Mountains and revolves around an investigation into 13-year-old Barbara Van Laar's disappearance from her summer camp in 1975. The case exposes dark secrets about another Van Laar family tragedy, the disappearance of Barbara's older brother, that took place years earlier.
"As the past and present collide, the Van Laars’ wealth and influence unravel, revealing the damaging consequences of privilege and the abuse of power," Netflix says of the upcoming adaptation.
Moore will be joined by Liz Hannah ("The Girl from Plainville," "Mindhunter" and "The Post") as a showrunner, writer and executive producer for the new series, which will have hourlong episodes. The project will be produced by Sony Pictures, which also also worked with Moore on "Long Bright River." The cast for "The Good of the Woods" has not been announced.
“We hope everyone falls in love (and hate) with these characters as much as we have," Moore and Hannah said in a statement Wednesday.
Netflix has not given a timeline for the new series to hit the platform.
Moore's novel has sold more than 1 million copies worldwide since its release and was named a book of the year in 2024 by the New York Times, People and NPR. Former President Barack Obama called it one of his favorite books the year, and Taylor Swift's new documentary "The End of an Era" shows the pop star listening to an audio book version of the novel.
In an interview with NPR last year, Moore said she never outlines her novels. She prefers to let the mystery unfold as she writes and revises, finding ways to create suspense that feels believable to her readers.
"That's my great ambition whenever I write a mystery — is to keep people guessing and to have them feel the sensation of surprise but also to feel satisfied that oh, this could really happen," Moore said. "And the best way that I know to do that is by not knowing the answers myself as I enter the writing of a book."
Moore's other novels include "The Unseen World" (2016), "Heft" (2012) and "The Words of Every Song" (2007).
