Picture: Florence Pugh (left) and the book cover of East of Eden (center).
In 2022, Netflix acquired the rights to John Steinbeck’s classic novel East of Eden, with Florence Pugh cast as its lead. Although the development of East of Eden has been slow, the cast was recently announced, and filming will reportedly get underway in late 2024.
Editors Note: This article was first published in June 2022 and has been updated with additional details.
Actress and writer Zoe Kazan is writing and producing the Netflix miniseries. Her writing credits include Wildlife and Ruby Sparks. Kazan’s grandfather, Elia Kazan, also adapted East of Eden in 1955 as a feature film.
Zoe Kazan said in a press release:
“I fell in love with East of Eden when I first read it, in my teens. Since then, adapting Steinbeck’s novel — the great, sprawling, three-generational entirety of it — has been my dream. More than anything, I have wanted to give full expression to the novel’s astonishing, singular antiheroine, Cathy Ames,”
Anonymous Content and Endeavor Content are co-producing the series as part of a partnership unveiled in March. Here’s everything else we know about Netflix’s East of Eden:
What’s the plot of East of Eden?
Netflix’s East of Eden is an adaptation of John Steinbeck’s classic 1952 novel of the same name. The book was previously adapted as a movie by Zoe Kazan’s grandfather Elia Kazan back in 1955.
Here’s the plot synopsis for East of Eden:
Set in the rich farmland of the Salinas Valley, California, this often brutal novel follows the intertwined destinies of two families – the Trasks and the Hamiltons – whose generations hopelessly re-enact the fall of Adam and Eve and the poisonous rivalry of Cain and Abel. Spanning the period between the American Civil War and the end of World War I, the story highlights the conflicts of two generations of brothers; the first being the kind, gentle Adam Trask and his wild brother Charles. Adam eventually marries Cathy Ames, an evil, manipulative, and beautiful prostitute; she betrays him, joining Charles on the very night of their wedding.
Later, after giving birth to twin boys, she shoots Adam and leaves him to return to her former profession. In the shadow of this heritage Adam raises their sons, the fair-haired, winning, yet intractable Aron, and the dark, clever Caleb. This second generation of brothers vie for their father’s approval. In bitterness Caleb reveals the truth about their mother to Aron, who then joins the army and is killed in France.
Who is cast in East of Eden?
Since its conception, East of Eden will star Florence Pugh, whose recent credits include such projects as Black Widow and Midsommar. Pugh will also star in the upcoming Hollywood juggernauts Dune: Part II and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer as well as her upcoming Netflix movie The Wonder.
Zoe Kazan commented on Pugh’s casting:
“Florence Pugh is our dream Cathy; I can’t imagine a more thrilling actor to bring this character to life. Writing this limited series over the last two years has been the creative highpoint of my life. I hope that with our partners at Netflix, Anonymous Content, and Endeavor Content, we can do justice to this material — and shed new light on it for a 21st century audience.”
After two years, we finally have our first cast update. Joining Florence Pugh in the cast of East of Eden are;
- Christopher Abbott (Poor Things) as Adam Trask
- Mike Faist (Challengers) as Charles Trask
- Hoon Lee (Warrior) as Lee
Pictured from left to right: Christopher Abbott, Mike Faist, and Hoon Lee
What’s the production status of East of Eden?
Development
Filming Scheduled
Filming Ongoing
Post-Production
The project has been in development for over two years, but we’ve finally received an update. Filming will reportedly start in Early Q4 of 2024 (October) and will shoot until Early Q2 of 2025 (April).
Filming will reportedly take place in New Zealand.
How many episodes will be in East of Eden?
Netflix has confirmed that East of Eden will have seven episodes.
Garth Davis (Lion) will direct the first four episodes, and Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre will direct episodes five to seven.
What’s the Netflix release date for East of Eden?
Filming is due to end in Q2 of 2025, so we’d be lucky to see the series on Netflix before the end of 2025. However, we’ll most likely see the limited series on Netflix sometime in early 2026.
Are you looking forward to watching East of Eden on Netflix? Let us know in the comments below!
