HBO is dusting off the works of H.P. Lovecraft coupled with social horror for its new series, Lovecraft Country; here's everything we know so far.
H.P. Lovecraft and aquatic horror have seen a resurgence in 2020 already, with releases such as The Color Out of Space and Underwater, where the monster was confirmed by director William Eubank to actually be one of Lovecraft's most iconic: Cthulhu. While the works of the author have been popular amongst horror fans for some time, adapted into various types of film, video games, comics, television, and other media, the influence hasn't been so prominently felt all at once until recently, with ample new content being released for fans of the author's work. However, Lovecraft Country promises something a bit different. HBO has also recently dipped into the genre in 2020 through a television series adaptation of another prominent horror author, Stephen King, with The Outsider, which was praised by the author.
Although beloved for horror fans for his contribution to the genre, Lovecraft himself held some rather problematic views on race, specifically regarding his opinions surrounding people of color. With Jordan Peele at the helm, and socially-conscious horror themes at the forefront, the new HBO series makes big promises by combining the two.
Lovecraft Country Release Date
Lovecraft Country was first announced in May 2017; HBO ordered ten episodes for season 1, all one hour long in duration. Filming on Lovecraft Country began in Chicago and Atlanta in July of 2018. The show is set to premiere in August of 2020, and the first trailer for the show dropped on May 1, 2020. Currently, an official release date has not yet been announced.
Lovecraft Country Cast & Crew
HBO's Lovecraft Country is packed with notable names beyond that of executive producer Jordan Peele, who is known for his work not only as a comedian on Comedy Central's Key & Peele, but has made a splash in the horror scene with his films Get Out, Us, and his revival of The Twilight Zone. JJ Abrams, who has dipped into many genres, including his contributions to the sci-fi horror that borders on Lovecraftian, Cloverfield. Abrams and Peele serve as executive producers for Lovecraft Country alongside Bill Carraro (Blade Runner 2049), Yann Demange (White Boy Rick), Daniel Sackheim (House), and David Knoller (Big Love). Misha Green, the creator and executive producer of Underground is both the creator and showrunner for Lovecraft Country. The series is produced by Monkeypaw Productions, Bad Robot Productions, and Warner Bros. Television.
Main cast for Lovecraft Country includes Jonathan Majors (When We Rise) as Atticus Freeman, the male lead; Jurnee Smollett-Bell (Birds of Prey) as Leticia "Leti" Dandridge, the female lead; Wunmi Mosaku (The End of the F***ing World) as Ruby Dandridge; Aunjanue Ellis (If Beale Street Could Talk) as Hippolyta Black; Michael K. Williams (The Wire) as Montrose Freeman; Abbey Lee (Mad Max: Fury Road) as Christina Braithwhite. Recurring cast includes Courtney B. Vance (American Crime Story) as George Black, Jamie Harris (Kingdom) as Eustace Hunt, and Jamie Chung (Once Upon a Time) as Ji-Ah.
Lovecraft Country Story Details
Lovecraft Country is based on a novel of the same name by Matt Ruff, which released in 2016. According to HBO, the series follows the main characters: Atticus Freeman, his friend Leticia, and his Uncle George on a search for Atticus' missing father. The three "embark on a road trip across the 1950s Jim Crow America... this begins a struggle to survive and overcome both the racist terrors of white America and the terrifying monsters that could be ripped from a Lovecraft paperback". This certainly sounds like the perfect blend between Lovecraft's work and the real, social horrors that are often etched within Peele's filmography, making Lovecraft Country another contender for smart, fresh horror television.