Zoe Kazan adapts East of Eden as Netflix limited series

Netflix has released a limited series adaptation of John Steinbeck's novel East of Eden, created and written by Zoe Kazan, according to reports from The Hollywood Reporter and Variety. The production stars Florence Pugh as Cathy, alongside Christopher Abbott as Adam, Mike Faist, and Joe Anders as Aron Trask, TV Line and Variety reported. [1][2][3][4]

Following the premiere of the screen adaptation, Steinbeck's original novel climbed to the top spot on Amazon's bestseller list, Variety reported. Variety also reported that the audiobook edition gained renewed commercial traction on retail digital charts alongside the launch of the television series. [2]

In developing the project for television, Kazan chose to center the narrative on the complex relationship between brothers, while re-evaluating the character of Cathy Ames, according to The Hollywood Reporter and Variety. The narrative follows two intertwining farming families in the Salinas Valley of California, loosely drawing inspiration from the biblical account of Cain and Abel, TV Line said. Her grandfather, director Elia Kazan, previously helmed the feature film adaptation of the novel's final section. [1][3][4][14]

Anders, who plays twin son Aron Trask opposite Pugh and Abbott, secured the role after appearing in screen projects including the Apple TV series Cape Fear and the feature films 1917, Lee, and Bonus Track, according to TV Line. [3]