‘Lovecraft Country’ Trailer: HBO’s New Teaser Will Have You Questioning Reality
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In a week where civil rights protests have sprung up in nearly every corner of the world to protest police brutality and the murder of George Floyd, it’s certainly a bold choice from HBO to release the latest trailer for their upcoming adaptation of “Lovecraft Country.”
The series, based on Matt Ruff’s novel of the same name, tells the story of Atticus Freeman (Jonathan Majors), his friend Letitia (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), and Atticus’ uncle George (Courtney B. Vance) as they travel through the 1950s Jim Crow South in search of both Atticus’ father (Michael Kenneth Williams) and a location known as Lovecraft Country. As the new trailer for the series indicates, there are just the standard racists living in the world — but also possibly something just as monstrous and supernatural.
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Co-created by “Underground” writer Misha Green and Oscar-winner Jordan Peele, this new trailer for “Lovecraft Country” continues to reiterate that racism and the haunting terrors the trio encounter are linked. But there’s also a surreal, phantasmagoric quality to everything that is beautifully rendered in glowing candles, costume segues, and nearly everything Smollett-Bell wears.
There will certainly be claims that HBO is attempting to capitalize on the increased awareness of Black Lives Matter, following up yesterday’s #BlackoutTuesday, by releasing this trailer. On May 30 the HBO company Twitter posted solidarity for their “Black colleagues, employees, fans, actors, and storytellers,” including a quote by writer and activist James Baldwin, one of dozens of corporations speaking out in the wake of the protests.
“Lovecraft Country” has been in development for nearly three years, originally announced back in 2017. In a statement to Deadline upon announcement of the series, co-creator Green said, “When I first read Lovecraft Country I knew it had the potential to be unlike anything else on television. Jordan, JJ [Abrams, producer], Bad Robot, Warner Bros., and HBO are all in the business of pushing the limits when it comes to storytelling, and I am beyond thrilled to be working with them on this project.”
Interestingly, there’s still no word on when the series will actually arrive on television screens. This second trailer still touts an unspecified date in August. With so many series bowing out for fall premieres in the wake of the global pandemic earlier this year, “Lovecraft Country” could cement itself as a contender for the network.
“Lovecraft Country” arrives in August.
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