Three 2026 Adaptations Rebuild Classic Novel Protagonists

Three major screen adaptations released or in development in 2026 have altered the central characters of their source novels while leaving the historical settings intact. This approach applies to Zoe Kazan’s East of Eden on Netflix, Daniel West’s A Tale of Two Cities on MGM+, and Diana Reid’s work on Focus Features’ Sense and Sensibility. The writers cite a desire to avoid modernizing the plot while still engaging contemporary viewers.

Daniel West, who wrote the four-part A Tale of Two Cities series that premiered in September 2026, changed Dickens’ heroine Lucie Manette significantly. He stated that the original character was prone to weeping and fainting, which made her less compelling. West rewrote Lucie as the investigative force of the opening episodes, describing her as the central pivot of the story. He also replaced the characters Jarvis Lorry and Miss Pross with a new character named Hester, played by Sharon Duncan-Brewster, to create a more complex family dynamic.

Zoe Kazan, the showrunner for the eight-episode East of Eden limited series released on October 1, 2026, re-evaluated the character of Cathy Ames. Kazan noted that she previously viewed the story through the lens of her grandfather, Elia Kazan, who directed the 1955 film adaptation. Upon re-reading John Steinbeck’s 1952 novel, Kazan realized that Cathy is almost always telling the truth. This shift in perspective led Kazan to frame the narrative as a love story between brothers Adam and Charles, a relationship that Cathy disrupts.

Diana Reid, the screenwriter for Sense and Sensibility, took a different approach to the source material. She described her method as respecting the text rather than revering it. Her most notable change was bringing a duel between Colonel Brandon and John Willoughby to the screen, a scene that Jane Austen only mentions in the novel. Reid argued that showing the action reveals the drama more effectively than having a character describe it. She also preserved Austen’s humor, using lines from the book verbatim in the script.

The decision to rebuild characters rather than modernize settings was a deliberate choice across all three projects. West explained that the issues of injustice and vengeance in A Tale of Two Cities already feel relevant to 2026. He wanted the story to function as a taut thriller, keeping characters in a state of constant agitation. Kazan stated that she did not need to spoon-feed the audience the modernity of the story. Reid added that allowing the classic to exist in its own time creates powerful viewing experiences for audiences.

These adaptations join other major projects this year, including Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey and Emerald Fennell’s Wuthering Heights. The writers noted that famous novels offer a built-in audience and free intellectual property. However, they agreed that name recognition alone is insufficient to sustain viewer interest. West pointed out that A Tale of Two Cities had not received a major screen adaptation in nearly 40 years, making the opportunity to tell the story with a fresh perspective particularly attractive. The goal for each creative team was to provide a new angle on the source material without changing the fundamental era or location.