While the world has turned to films and television shows in order to self-educate on the racial injustice felt by people of colour every day, it looks as if Lovecraft Country is set to be another extraordinary example.
Based on the novel by Matt Ruff, the eye-opening series has been re-created by some of the most influential minds in cinema: Jordan Peele, Get Out and Us; J.J. Abrams, the most recent Star Wars adaptations; and Misha Green. This can only mean that the series is sure to be nothing short of impressive.
Set in 1950s New England, the story follows a young Black army veteran, Atticus, who embarks on a journey to find his father. Atticus and his family must venture through not only eerie forests, where paranormal creatures lurk in the shadows, but must also pass through towns where white supremacy runs rampant.
As America continues to call for an end to police brutality against BIPOC, this series’ focus on race could not have come at a more revolutionary time. With the narrative of Lovecraft Country based in America’s racially-driven Jim Crow era, the fiction behind the story seems all too familiar to moments in both past and present, where imminent danger for Black Americans was far too common.
If you need further convincing, the cast is packed full of impressive faces. Leading the series as Atticus is Jonathan Majors, famously known for The Last Black Man In San Francisco. Playing Atticus’ missing father is Michael Kenneth from The Wire with Jurnee Smollett-Bell from HBO’s True Blood, Underground, Friday Night Lights, starring as Letitia “Leti” Lewis.
Lovecraft Country is set to be released August 2020 on HBO and Hulu.
Interested? Take a look at the gripping trailer below:
