Joseph Zada Is the New James Dean in Netflix's New Miniseries Based on a John Steinbeck Classic

Ahead of Joseph Zada’s starring role in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, the actor is making headlines with a different role. For his next project, East of Eden, he’s drawing comparisons with the late James Dean.

Based on the John Steinbeck classic, East of Eden follows families in California’s Salinas Valley across multiple generations. The new miniseries premieres on Oct. 1 and also stars Florence Pugh, Joe Anders, Christopher Abbott, and Mike Faist. Zada, who has been making waves on Prime Video’s We Were Liars and the much-anticipated next installment of The Hunger Games franchise, is now taking on a role made famous by a late Hollywood icon.

Joseph Zada as the New Cal Trask

For East of Eden, Zada is set to portray Cal Trask, a troubled young man who is desperate to win his father’s love and approval. Dean portrayed Cal in the 1955 film adaptation, for which he was posthumously nominated for Best Actor at the 1956 Academy Awards. It was also the role that turned him into a household name.

Co-showrunner and executive producer Jeb Stuart told TV Insider that he believes Zada will leave a “lasting impression” on viewers, similar to Dean. “He was spectacular, and Joe did nothing but prove that he was up for that role,” Stuart shared. “It wasn’t just about a great audition. He just grew as we shot. It was fantastic.”

East of Eden focuses on the Trask family, particularly the relationship between brothers Adam (Abbott) and Charles (Faist), whose volatile upbringing with their father, Cyrus (Tracy Letts), has already created complications. The series follows them into adulthood, which is where Adam’s son, Cal, comes in, along with his twin brother, Aron (Anders). As Aron easily wins the favor of their father and has a strict moral code, Cal yearns for Adam’s love and respect, leading him to struggle with his inner demons.

What’s Next for Joseph Zada?

Joseph Zada as Haymith in Hunger Games Sunrise on the Reaping standing in the woods

As previously mentioned, Zada is pretty busy. Aside from East of Eden, he will be portraying a young Haymitch Abernathy in the upcoming film adaptation of The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. The highly anticipated sixth film in The Hunger Games franchise releases in theaters on Nov. 20 and centers on the 50th Hunger Games. It’s the second Quarter Quell, which saw the number of tributes double, with Haymitch winning.

Zada is also set to reprise his role as Johnny Sinclair Dennis in the second season of Prime Video’s We Were Liars. Adapted from E. Lockhart’s novel Family of Liars, Season 2 will see the eldest Sinclair sister (Mami Gummer) recalling to the ghost of her dead son, Johnny, something she and her sisters did during one summer when they were teenagers. Filming kicked off over the summer, with Season 2 expected to premiere in 2027.

East of Eden is already one of the biggest shows in the world, and it premieres on Thursday, Oct. 1, only on Netflix.