Exclusive First Look: Florence Pugh and Christopher Abbott Filming Netflix’s East of Eden in New Zealand

Filming for Netflix’s East of Eden limited series is currently underway in Oamaru, New Zealand.

Recently, Florence Pugh, who plays Cathy Ames, and Christopher Abbott, who portrays her husband Adam Trask, were spotted filming at the Oamaru Steam and Rail Society’s railway yard on January 12, 2024. See the images below.

The show, created by Zoe Kazan, is adapted from John Steinbeck’s 1952 novel of the same name. It also stars Mike Faist as Charles Trask, Hoon Lee as Lee, Tracy Letts as Cyrus Trask, Martha Plimpton as Faye, Ciarán Hinds as Samuel Hamilton, Joe Anders as Aron Trask, and Joseph Zada as Cal Trask.

Here’s the plot details for East of Eden:

“Set in the rich farmland of the Salinas Valley, California, this often brutal novel follows the intertwined destinies of two families – the Trasks and the Hamiltons – whose generations hopelessly re-enact the fall of Adam and Eve and the poisonous rivalry of Cain and Abel. Spanning the period between the American Civil War and the end of World War I, the story highlights the conflicts of two generations of brothers; the first being the kind, gentle Adam Trask and his wild brother Charles. Adam eventually marries Cathy Ames, an evil, manipulative, and beautiful prostitute; she betrays him, joining Charles on the very night of their wedding.”

Back in 2022, in a statement, Kazan said, “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.” Kazan added, “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 high point 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.”

Anonymous Content and Fifth Season are co-producing the seven-episode limited series for Netflix. Garth Davis will direct the first four episodes and serve as an executive producer, while Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre will direct the final three episodes. Executive producers also include Antoine Douaihy and Zack Hayden.

East of Eden is set to premiere on Netflix in 2025.