'Lovecraft Country' Creator: The Show’s Monsters Are a Metaphor for Racism in America

[This story contains spoilers for the second episode of HBO's Lovecraft Country, "Whitey's on the Moon."] With an opening scored to Ja'Net DuBois' "Movin' On Up," best known as the theme song for television's The Jeffersons, the first few minutes of Lovecraft Country's second episode suggest things are indeed moving on up for Tic (Jonathan Majors), Leti (Jurnee Smollett) and George (Courtney B.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorIn HBO’s “Lovecraft Country,” Atticus Freeman, played by Jonathan Majors, is in 1950s America, in the era of Jim Crow laws, driving on a quest to find his missing father.Cars play a vital role in the series, as production designer Kalina Ivanov points out, “Black people used cars in the ’50s as a means to survive.” And as we see in the first episode, Atticus finds himself encountering a racist sheriff played by Jamie Harris, who reminds Atticus he’s driving through a

Lovecraft Country, HBO's genre-melding new horror drama, has a predominately Black cast, which is rare to see in mainstream horror, sci-fi or any of the the other pulp genres the series operates in. Showrunner Misha Green, using author Matt Ruff's book as a template, consciously put her flag down for Black people on the cosmic horror subgenre of 1900s horror writer H.P.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorHBO’s “Lovecraft Country” has already made history for its entirely online orchestral score, co-composed by Laura Karpman and Raphael Saadiq.But for noted musical multitasker Saadiq – with a resume that includes a Grammy (and 15 nominations), a 2018 Oscar nom, nine studio albums (five as a solo act, four with previous group Tony! Toni! Toné!) and countless hits as a writer/producer for artists like D’Angelo, Solange, Mary J.

HBO’s new series “Lovecraft Country” — and is joined by nightmarish beasts from the works of author H.P. Lovecraft.In the series, produced by Jordan Peele and JJ Abrams, stars Jonathan Majors, Courtney B.

Audrey Cleo Yap “Lovecraft Country” marks the second time Jurnee Smollett and creator Misha Green have worked together, extending their creative relationship from two seasons on WGN’s historical drama “Underground” to HBO’s buzzy horror series, based on the novel of the same name by Matt Ruff. The show is executive produced by Jordan Peele and J.J.

The Last Black Man in San Francisco, or his part in Netflix and Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods (he was phenomenal in both). He plays the main character in Lovecraft Country, a Korean War veteran named Atticus Freeman, opposite Jurnee Smollett as Letitia 'Leti" Lewis.

The Count of Monte Cristo or Bram Stoker's Dracula, you may instantly conjure up images of white male protagonists at the center of a haunting narrative. And to that end, road trip films and TV series also typically have white male leads.

Lovecraft Country, HBO's gripping new horror series that's based on a novel of the same name by Matt Ruff, is packed to the Innsmouthian fish-person gills with allusions to classic horror, sci-fi, and adventure stories, as well as important works of Black literature and pop culture. The series premiere alone contains references to H.P.

Jurnee Smollett has made notable appearances on everything from to. Most recently she starred on co-creator Misha Green’s short-lived WGN America series and was enlisted to play Black Canary opposite Margot Robbie in.

is shining a light on buried histories of America. Created by Misha Green and executive produced by Jordan Peele and J.J.

Also Read: Monstrous Racists and Literal Monsters Come Out to Terrorize in HBO's 'Lovecraft Country' Trailer (Video)Based on Ruff’s book, “Lovecraft Country” follows Atticus Freeman (Jonathan Majors) as he journeys with his childhood friend Letitia (Jurnee Smollett) and his uncle George (Courtney B. Vance) on a road trip from Chicago across 1950s Jim Crow America in search of his missing father Montrose (Michael Kenneth Williams).

Jurnee Smollett has signed with CAA. The actress, previously with ICM, will next been seen in Jordan Peele's period sci-fi series Lovecraft Country on HBO.

Will Thorne Staff WriterWelcome back to Tune In: our weekly newsletter offering a guide to the best of the week’s TV.Each week, Variety’s TV team combs through the week’s schedule, selecting our picks of what to watch and when/how to watch them.

Daniel D'Addario Chief TV Critic“Lovecraft Country,” a new drama on HBO, begins with a scene of degradation; soldier Atticus Freeman (Jonathan Majors) emerges from a foxhole to see a winged, tentacled creature flying overhead. Another fantastical monster is destroyed by Jackie Robinson, then reconstitutes itself to devour the pathbreaking baseball player when Atticus wakes up from this dream in the back seat of a segregated bus.

The Count of Monte Cristo or Bram Stoker's Dracula, you may instantly conjure up images of white male protagonists at the center of a haunting narrative. And to that end, road trip films and TV series also typically have white male leads.