We all know the biblical story of Adam and Eve; the one of gender, and sin in the Garden of Eden. It has been retold countless times, but there is something fascinating about John Steinbeck’s 1952 novel, East of Eden.
It is a book that has to claw and fight for your attention, because it won’t be offered easily. However, East of Eden is an a complex story worth reading; delving into human nature, and the struggle between good and evil.
Luckily, if you’re not particularly interested in reading East of Eden, a movie adaptation is scheduled to release in 2026.
Breathing life to the masterpiece is Zoe Kazan, who has been in the entertainment industry since the early 2000s as a writer and actress.
“Steinbeck’s writing — personal, shocking, profound, and free — that has kept me enthralled by East of Eden since I first read the book as a young teen,” she told Tudum.
Her vision, however, would be nothing without Florence Pugh as the antagonist Cathy Ames.
For all her loveable peculiarities off-screen, there is no denying Florence’s talents on-screen whether it be as a Russian spy, a depressed woman unknowingly entering a cult, or a psychiatrist during World War II.
This also won’t be the British actress’ first time playing a controversial character. In the past, she starred as the viciously ambitious Lady Macbeth and the melodramatic youngest sibling Amy March in the 2019 adaption of Little Women (1868).
But Cathy might just be Florence’s most intriguing role yet. Cathy is the dual representation of Eve and Serpent, the mother of humanity and the architect of destruction.
Her entire character begs the question: are we born evil or do we choose it?
“When I was a little girl, I imagined that I could grow smaller. So small that the bad things couldn’t find me, and I could disappear,” Cathy said in the East of Eden teaser trailer. “Because, the world is so full of evil.”
While Cathy might be the most interesting character (in our opinion), she is not the only fascinating character from the novel.
Cathy’s story is one intertwined with the men of the Trask family, particularly Adam (Christopher Abbot) and Charles (Mike Faist). The seven-episode series will span over decades, through the American Civil War and World War I.
Adam, a passive figure representing Adam of Genesis, is the protagonist who marries Cathy and welcomes twins, Cal and Aron.
As you would expect, the twins represent the biblical Cain and Abel. Like their parents, Cal and Aron are the embodiment of idealism and jealousy.
Set in California’s Salinas Valley, the family will meet an Irish family man Samuel Hamilton (Ciaran Hinds), the intellectual and empathetic Lee (Hoon Lee), and brothel owner with an admirable heart Faye (Martha Plimpton).
The drama, East of Eden will drop to Netflix sometime during Spring in Australia.
Watch the teaser trailer for East of Eden below:
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