Jordan Peele (Get Out, Us) and J.J. Abrams (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Star Trek) have teamed up for HBO’s latest original series, Lovecraft Country. And HBO has brought the cast to this year’s [email protected] for a special virtual panel that digs into the show. Even though San Diego Comic-Con won’t be happening as usual, the organizers behind the pop culture convection are making the most of it, and this is a prime example.
To conclude the panel, a new clip from the show was revealed. It sees the group investigating an undisclosed location. It is dark and they have flashlights, indicating they are not supposed to be there. But once they turn off the flashlights, a hidden secret is unveiled. This latest footage comes after HBO dropped the Lovecraft Country Comic-Con trailer early, debuting it yesterday before the panel.
The series comes from showrunner and executive producer Misha Green. Cast members, Jurnee Smollett (Bird of Prey), Jonathan Majors (The Last Black Man in San Francisco), Michael K. Williams (Boardwalk Empire), Aunjanue Ellis (Quantico), Wunmi Mosaku (Luther), Abbey Lee (Mad Max: Fury Road) and Courtney B. Vance (American Crime Story) will be on hand for the panel. They will be having a conversation about the drama, which will be moderated by Sarah Rodman, executive editor of Entertainment Weekly.
Lovecraft Country is based on the 2016 novel by Matt Ruff. It centers on Atticus Black as he joins his friend Letitia and his Uncle George to set off on a road trip across 1950s Jim Crow America in search of his missing father. What follows is a struggle to survive and overcome both the racist terrors of white America and the terrifying monsters that could be ripped from an H.P. Lovecraft novel. Aside from Jordan Peele and J.J. Abrams as executive producers, Yann Demange (’71), who also directs the first episode, director Daniel Sackheim (Game of Thrones, True Detective), Ben Stephenson and Bill Carraro will produce as well.
Game of Thrones concluded its run on HBO last year, which left a pretty big hole in the network’s programming. Not only that but Watchmen, one of the biggest hits of 2019, looks to be a one-and-done thing. Plus, WarnerMedia launched HBO Max, so it is arguably more important now than it ever was to get premium programming that can draw in subscribers. Having a team that consists of both Jordan Peele and J.J. Abrams is certainly one way to do that. They are among the biggest and most sought-after names in Hollywood right now. They also have wildly different filmmaking styles, which could make for a fascinating blend. We got a glimpse of that in the first teaser trailer, but there are surely plenty of secrets hiding in the show itself.
Just because SDCC isn’t happening in person doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot for pop culture lovers to be on the lookout for this weekend. This is just one of dozens of panels covering a wide range of topics such as movies, TV and more. Be sure to check out the Lovecraft Country panel for yourself, before the show debuts this August. We will be keeping up with the convention all weekend, so keep an eye out for our additional coverage at comic-con.org.
