HBO’s Lovecraft Country, an epic sci-fi adventure, was inspired by films like Get Out and series like Lost, according to showrunner Misha Green. At a panel session at the virtual TCA press tour, the creator said that Get Out paved the pay for sci-fi stories starring Black actors.
Lovecraft Country, which is executive produced by J.J. Abrams, who co-created Lost, is also indebted to the ABC sci-fi drama, which set a new standard for epic dramas, Green added. The series began filming on July 16, 2018, in Chicago, Illinois, and was also shot at White Pines State Park in Mount Morris, Illinois, and in Macon, Georgia.
Based on Matt Ruff’s novel, the 10-episode series follows Atticus Freeman, played by Jonathan Majors, as he travels with his childhood friend Letitia, played by Jurnee Smollett, and his uncle George, played by Courtney B. Vance, from Chicago across the segregated south in the 1950s to find his missing father Montrose, played by Michael Kenneth Williams.
The series dives deep into the Jim Crow era, showing both the real and surreal horrors of racism, as Atticus, Letitia and George battle both Lovecraftian monsters, as well as, violent bigots. In the wake of the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police officers and the resulting Black Lives Matter protests, Lovecraft Country manages to show how little progress the country has made in many ways in 60 years.
Executive produced as well by Jordan Peele, the director of Get Out, as well as, Bad Robot Productions head Ben Stephenson in association with Warner Bros Television, the series, which launches August 16, is already receiving rave reviews online. According to Rolling Stone, “It’s one of the best shows HBO has made in a long, long time.”
Green, who created historical drama Underground, said that her new show has also been influenced by The Shining and Amityville Horror. “Everything in the genre space is a huge influence and genre fans will definitely see those Easter eggs and influences throughout,” she added. Lovecraft Country also stars Aunjanue Ellis, Abbey Lee, Jada Harris and Wunmi Mosaku, and features Jamie Harris, Jamie Chung and Tony Goldwyn in recurring roles.
Source: Deadline
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