Joseph Zada Leads Netflix's East of Eden Before Young Haymitch Role
Joseph Zada goes from Steinbeck to Panem in seven weeks.
The 21-year-old Australian actor plays Cal Trask in East of Eden, a seven-part adaptation arriving on Netflix on Oct. 1, The Hollywood Reporter reported on Oct. 1. That seven-part label means seven episodes. The production is described as a limited series, meaning it is designed to tell its story in one season.
The series adapts John Steinbeck's novel East of Eden, according to Netflix Tudum. The adaptation comes from Zoe Kazan. Kazan is the granddaughter of filmmaker Elia Kazan. Garth Davis serves as director.
Christopher Abbott also stars in the limited series. The cast includes Florence Pugh as Cathy Ames and Joe Anders as Aron Trask, according to Netflix Tudum. The credits give Zada's Cal and Anders' Aron the same surname, Trask.
Zada arrives with recent streaming credits. He played one of the teenage cousins in We Were Liars, Amazon's 2025 psychological drama, meaning a drama centred on mental states and behaviour. He also appeared in Invisible Boys. Both are earlier screen roles ahead of his autumn double bill.
One of those earlier jobs is continuing. Zada will reprise his We Were Liars role in a prequel, meaning a new story set before the events viewers have already seen. That production is now shooting in Canada. It keeps him with the We Were Liars ensemble while he takes on the Hunger Games role.
The next dated credit is in cinemas. Zada will portray 16-year-old Haymitch Abernathy in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. Haymitch is from District 12. Lionsgate lists the film as a 2026 release, and it is scheduled to reach theatres on Nov. 20, 2026, People reported on July 7.
Zada discussed playing Cal Trask on TODAY on Sept. 30, according to TODAY. The timing is tight.
For fans, this means little waiting between introductions. East of Eden lands first on streaming. Sunrise on the Reaping follows in cinemas in November.
