Christopher Abbott in Talks for James Dean Role in ‘East Of Eden’ Series Alongside Florence Pugh

Christopher Abbott is looking to establish himself as the next James Dean.

The “Girls” alum could be returning to TV with the upcoming Netflix adaptation of “East Of Eden,” which was Dean’s first major film debut in 1955. Both projects are based on the John Steinbeck novel. Deadline reported that Abbott was in talks to be cast.

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As previously announced in 2022, Zoe Kazan is writing and executive producing the series that is led by Florence Pugh, who will also co-produce along with Anonymous Content and Endeavor Content.

Kazan’s grandfather Elia Kazan directed the 1955 film for Warner Bros. that centered on the Trask family.

Deadline reported that Abbott would play Cal Trask in the series; the character was first brought to the screen by Dean. Pugh will play antiheroine Cathy Ames, portrayed by Jo Van Fleet in the 1955 film. Van Fleet won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her turn in the role; Jane Seymour later took on the part for an ABC miniseries adaptation in 1982 and received a Best Actress Golden Globe.

Abbott recently starred in “Poor Things” and 2024 festival debuts “It Doesn’t Matter” and “Bring Them Down,” which also stars Barry Keoghan. He will also lead Universal’s “Wolf Man.”

As for “East of Eden,” the upcoming series is a full circle family moment for creator Kazan.

“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,” Kazan said in a press statement. “More than anything, I have wanted to give full expression to the novel’s astonishing, singular anti-heroine, 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.”

IndieWire has reached out to Abbott’s representatives for comment.

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