Netflix Officially Releases First Trailer for Florence Pugh’s 7-Part Adaptation of Epic American Saga

An American literary classic comes to blazing life in the first trailer for East of Eden. Florence Pugh stars in the new seven-episode series, which comes from the pen of Zoe Kazan; Kazan has a unique familial connection to the book through her grandfather, Hollywood legend Elia Kazan. The series will premiere exclusively on Netflix on October 1.

First published in 1952, John Steinbeck‘s tale has an epic sweep, opening during the US Civil War and ending as the United States enters World War I. Set in California’s Salinas Valley, where Steinbeck was born and raised, it traces the history of the Trask family. Patriarch Adam Trask sets down roots there to become a farmer with his wife, Cathy; however, their marriage dissolves in blood and fury after the birth of their twin sons, Caleb and Aron. Eventually, the two come of age to seek their own fortune, unaware of their mother’s true fate; the truth of that will tear the family asunder.

Pugh’s Cathy Ames is front and center in the new trailer; it seems that she will play a key role in the series, in contrast to previous adaptations that utilized Cathy as a supporting character. In a voice-over, she ponders the nature of evil, and how it can be born of human parents; however, she may not yet realize who the true evil in this tale is. The trailer also features Christopher Abbott (Wolf Man) as Adam, Joseph Zada (We Were Liars) as Caleb, Joe Anders (Cape Fear) as Aron, Mike Faist (Challengers) as Adam’s half-brother Charles, Tracy Letts (The Lowdown) as Adam’s father, Martha Plimpton (Task) as Faye, a woman who takes Cathy in, and Hoon Lee (Your Friends and Neighbors) as Adam’s employee Lee.

Has ‘East of Eden’ Been Adapted for the Screen Before?

East of Eden was previously adapted for the screen in 1955; Elia Kazan, Zoe’s grandfather, directed the movie, which starred James Dean, Raymond Massey, and Jo Van Fleet. Van Fleet won an Oscar for her portrayal of Cathy, while Dean’s electric performance inspired the likes of Nicolas Cage and Leonardo DiCaprio; it was the only one of his own films that the doomed icon lived to see. That film only adapted the last portion of the novel, when Caleb and Aron are on the cusp of manhood, while the Netflix adaptation will adapt the entire book.

East of Eden will premiere on Netflix on October 1. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.