Atlantic Festival 2026: First Look at Netflix's East of Eden, Colin Kaepernick, Florence Pugh on Speaker Lineup
Netflix will give audiences their first look at Zoe Kazan's 'East of Eden' limited series during the 2026 Atlantic Festival, running 17–19 September at the Perelman Performing Arts Center in New York. The Hollywood Reporter exclusively revealed the festival's latest lineup additions on 11 August, including the screening and a talk with three of the series' top names.
After the preview, co-showrunner, writer and executive producer Zoe Kazan will be joined on stage by star and executive producer Florence Pugh and Netflix chief content officer Bela Bajaria for a conversation about the project. The series is a modern take on John Steinbeck's 1952 novel, centring on the multigenerational Trask family and framed around the antihero Cathy Ames — a character who has haunted readers since the book's publication. Pugh leads the cast and also holds an executive producer credit.
Colin Kaepernick will sit down with journalist Jemele Hill to discuss his upcoming memoir, 'The Perilous Fight'. The former NFL quarterback, whose peaceful protests during the national anthem in 2016 set off a nationwide debate that is still being argued a decade later, has been increasingly active in publishing and television.
The festival — which brings The Atlantic magazine's journalism to life on stage through conversations, screenings and performances — has a packed political and cultural roster for its September edition. Former Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo will be interviewed by MSNBC anchor Stephanie Ruhle. Senator Mark Kelly will be in conversation with Atlantic writer Mark Leibovich. And New York Times executive editor Joe Kahn, Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg, and PBS News Hour co-anchor Amna Nawaz will hold a panel on press freedom.
Also confirmed: filmmaker Richard Linklater, actor Ben McKenzie, author Malcolm Gladwell, and author and television host Padma Lakshmi, who will discuss the future of creative work. Previously announced speakers include Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, former Chicago Mayor and Ambassador Rahm Emanuel, Bumble CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd, George W. Bush advisers Andrew Card and Karl Rove, 'Odyssey' translator Emily Wilson, and the New York Times' Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan.
Two screenings sit alongside the headline event. PBS docuseries 'Crime and Punishment' explores the 250-year history of the U.S. criminal legal system. Josh Greenbaum's 'Playing POTUS', a presidential parody documentary, rounds out the film programme.
Opening night brings a different register entirely: 'A Soundtrack of a Nation', a collaboration between the Juilliard School, Oscar-nominated composer Nicholas Britell, tap dancer and choreographer Michelle Dorrance, and bass-baritone Davóne Tines.
For 'East of Eden', the festival appearance lands before a release date has been publicly announced, meaning the Perelman Center talk may be among the first chances for audiences to hear directly from Kazan and Pugh about the project's direction.
The 2026 festival is promoted under the tagline 'Three days. Big ideas. Today's boldest thinkers.' Genentech underwrites the event at the Presenting Level, with Boston Scientific, Contentful, Edward Jones and TIAA supporting at other levels. All conversations are hosted by Atlantic journalists and staff.
