Hollywood comes to Onehunga1 min read

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Some famous faces were in Onehunga in December, but they kept themselves under wraps, filming an adaption of the novel East of Eden in one of our most well-known local heritage buildings.

The Onehunga Community House in Selwyn Street is a world away from the California setting of John Steinbeck’s famous novel, but it made a perfect stand-in for several scenes, which were filmed in early December. The street was blocked off for the shoot, but the reasons for the detour weren’t well publicised.

English star Florence Pugh (Little Women, Black Widow) takes on the lead role of Cathy Ames in the series, which also stars Martha Plimpton (The Goonies, Raising Hope), Irish actor Ciarán Hinds (Game of Thrones, There Will Be Blood), rising American star, Mike Faist (West Side Story, Challengers) and Christopher Abbott (Girls, Catch-22).

The book is being adapted into a seven-part series for Netflix, and is set to be released in early 2026. It tells the intertwined stories of the Trask and Hamilton families, mirroring the biblical story of Cain and Abel.

The novel was first adapted as a film in 1955, starring James Dean and directed by Elia Kazan.

The new version is directed by his granddaughter, Zoe Kazan. Filming also took place in Devonport, Dunedin and Ōamaru, with some streets being temporarily converted to gravel, then repaired after filming.