Netflix released a trailer on Wednesday for a seven-episode limited series adaptation of John Steinbeck's 1952 novel "East of Eden," with the full series set to premiere on October 1. The adaptation marks the third major screen version of the novel, which spans from the American Civil War to the end of World War I and follows two families in California's Salinas Valley. Zoe Kazan writes the entire series and shares directing duties with Garth Davis and Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre.
Florence Pugh leads the cast as Cathy Ames, the antagonist of the novel described in the source as a "Devil figure." The cast also includes Joseph Zada, Christopher Abbott, Mike Faist, and Ciaran Hinds. Jo Van Fleet won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for playing Cathy in the 1955 film adaptation directed by Kazan's grandfather, Elia Kazan, which starred James Dean and adapted only the final quarter of the novel.
Kazan's grandfather adapted the novel with John Steinbeck's approval, condensing it for the screen. A three-part television miniseries aired in 1981. The Netflix series promises a more complete adaptation of the full text than previous versions.
