East of Eden
Netflix has just unveiled the trailer to their new 7-episode limited series adaptation on the John Steinbeck novel, East of Eden. Florence Pugh executive produces and stars as Cathy Ames for Zoe Kazan’s upcoming drama. The series also stars Tracy Letts as Cyrus Trask; Martha Plimpton as Faye; Ciarán Hinds as Samuel Hamilton; Joseph Zada as Cal Trask; Joe Anders as Aron Trask; Christopher Abbott as Adam Trask; Mike Faist as Charles Trask; and Hoon Lee as Lee.
The description reads: “Pugh plays the indelible antihero Cathy Ames, whose life is intertwined with the lives of generations of men from the Trask family — notably those of Adam (Christopher Abbott) and Charles (Mike Faist) — as the characters live out the darker side of the California dream.“
This new take has been adapted by Zoe Kazan, and her family certainly has a history with the novel. Her grandfather, Elia Kazan, directed the 1955 adaptation, which starred James Dean in his first major leading role. Jo Van Fleet played Cathy Ames in that version, earning her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Adaptation
Kazan tells Tudum, “The thing that was really important to me was to stay rooted in the text of the book when it came to exploring who Cathy is. Basically, everything that’s in the series has at least a root in the book.”
“In the process of bringing this family saga to life, the resonance of my own familial connection to the material has not been lost on me,” Kazan said when the project was first announced. “But it is Steinbeck’s writing — personal, shocking, profound and free — that has kept me enthralled to East of Eden since I first read the book as a young teen. Working on this has been the greatest joy, and I am thrilled by the cast and crew we are assembling – and deeply grateful to Netflix, Fifth Season and Anonymous Content for their support.“
Meanwhile, Peter Friedlander, the VP of scripted series for Netflix, said, “Zoe’s thoughtful and artistic vision pays homage to her grandfather’s revered film adaptation while beautifully honoring and introducing new audiences to a true canon of American literature. She is an inspiring, creative force and we can not wait for everyone to see what she and Jeb, alongside the brilliant cast led by Florence Pugh, bring to screen.“
East of Eden is set to premiere on Netflix starting on October 1.
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