Florence Pugh to Star in Adaptation of ‘East of Eden’ From Zoe Kazan

Deadline has reported that Zoe Kazan is currently writing and executive producing a readaptation of John Steinbeck‘s East of Eden, with Florence Pugh set to star in it. The book was previously adapted as a film starring James Dean, Julie Harris, and Raymond Massey, directed by Elia Kazan, who was Zoe’s grandfather.

The new project is being developed as a limited series for Netflix, with Pugh also co-producing alongside Kazan. She will be playing Cathy Ames/Trask, a supporting character in Steinbeck’s novel, originally played by Jo Van Fleet in the 1955 film.

In a statement, Kazan expressed her love for the book and the upcoming project:

“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. 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.”

A search for a director to helm the miniseries is currently underway, alongside casting for the Trask family.

Source: Deadline