Streaming platforms adapt literary classics
Streaming platforms are increasing the number of series adaptations of literary classics, such as East of Eden, Carrie, or Pride and Prejudice. These new adaptations can remain faithful to the original works while revisiting them from contemporary perspectives, according to Dennis Tredy, a professor at Sorbonne-Nouvelle. Prestige adaptations driven by women
There is a revival of "prestige adaptations" driven by women who bring new perspectives on female characters. Zoe Kazan makes Cathy Ames the main character for the Netflix version of East of Eden for the first time. Netflix revealed East of Eden, based on John Steinbeck, with Florence Pugh, Christopher Abbott, and Mike Faist, on October 1st. New releases on streaming services
Prime Video followed with Carrie, based on Stephen King, by Mike Flanagan, on October 7th. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen will arrive on Netflix a few weeks before Christmas. Television as a novel
Television is becoming more like a novel, observes Dennis Tredy, a lecturer in American literature and adaptation at the Sorbonne Nouvelle. Episodes are a bit like the new chapters. Revelations, twists... Like bestsellers, series know how to make us want to move on to the next chapter, even if it means reorganizing the narrative. Duration allows for deeper storytelling
Their other advantage is duration. When a film has to cut down hundreds of pages, six or eight episodes allow space for secondary plots. In 2016, the BBC devoted six episodes to War and Peace by Tolstoy. The same logic applies to East of Eden. Whereas in 1955, Elia Kazan focused on the end of the novel and on Cal Trask, played by James Dean, his granddaughter Zoe Kazan embraces more of the family saga. More complex characters in adaptations
"Characters can be developed much more," observes Dennis Tredy. According to him, in this new version of Carrie, the mother and bullies gain complexity beyond their role as "villains." The series can tell more than a film, but also shift the perspective. In East of Eden, Cathy Ames, played by Florence Pugh, is no longer just the malicious character described by Steinbeck. Updating stories for modern times
The showrunner chose to explore her past and her wounds, where her grandfather's film gave her less space. Carrie, on the other hand, translates the harassment suffered by her heroine into the era of social networks. "Each adaptation may reflect more the time of the adaptation than the time of the original work," insists the specialist. This reinterpretation does not exclude faithfulness. Faithfulness and expansion
East of Eden takes a large part of the novel while enriching certain characters. In 2017, The Handmaid's Tale, based on Margaret Atwood, with Elisabeth Moss, had already closely followed the book in its first season, while launching plots destined to continue beyond the original text. A long history of prestige adaptations
For the researcher, this double possibility is the interest of the format. The return of prestige adaptations However, this is not new. In the 1970s and 1980s, major American and British networks already produced ambitious mini-series, such as Roots (1977). Television events with considerable resources. Evolution of the prestige TV era
In 1995, Pride and Prejudice, with Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth, became a phenomenon on the BBC. After the era of "Prestige TV," illustrated by The Sopranos (1999-2007), and the multiplication of series on platforms, Dennis Tredy now speaks of "prestige adaptations." Platforms turn to great texts with film actors and important production resources. Women shaping new adaptations
"But does more episodes necessarily mean a better adaptation?" "If we have the means, I believe so," answers Dennis Tredy, before tempering. Because it all depends on what one expects from a successful adaptation. A film can also find its strength in the choices it imposes. New voices in adaptation
Without seeing it as the main reason for this enthusiasm, Dennis Tredy notes another evolution: the place of women in writing these new adaptations. Zoe Kazan revisits the novel adapted into a film by her grandfather, Dolly Alderton signs the 2026 version of Pride and Prejudice while Emma Frost prepares for Netflix yet another series adapted from The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, after the film by Martin Scorsese in 1993. New voices to revisit female characters often filmed by men. Shift in perspective over time
In 1955, Elia Kazan made Cal Trask the center of his film. Sixty-one years later, her granddaughter chooses to follow Cathy Ames. Between the two versions, there is not only a difference in duration, but also in perspective.
