French-born British TV director Yann Demange will make his US television debut, helming the pilot for HBO’s ‘Lovecraft Country’. Demange has directed several TV shows across the pond, including ‘Secret Diary of a Call Girl’, ‘Coming Up’, ‘Dead Set’, ‘Criminal Justice’ and ‘Top Boy’. He also directed the 2014 feature film ”71′ which won several film festival awards. He just wrapped filming for his first American film, ‘White Boy Rick’ starring Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Rory Cochran, Eddie Marsan, Bruce Dern, Brian Tyree Henry and R.J. Cyler.
‘Lovecraft Country’ is based on the 2016 novel by Matt Ruff. The pilot script was penned by the series’ showrunner Misha Green. Green will serve as an executive producer Along with Ben Stephenson, Jordan Peele and J.J. Abrams. Peele’s Monkey Paw Productions, Abrams’ Bad Robot and Warner Bros Television are producing the series, which was ordered straight-to-series.
Peele recently won his first Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for ‘Get Out’, last year’s thriller which mixed horror with themes of race relations. ‘Lovecraft Country’ explores similar themes. Set during the 1950s, during Jim Crow America, African American Atticus Black embarks on a mission to find his missing father. Joined by his friend Letitia and Uncle George, they encounter danger, from both racist white Americans and horrifying Lovecraft-ian monsters.
Last year, Green said about the show:
“When I first read Lovecraft Country I knew it had the potential to be unlike anything else on television. Jordan, JJ, 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.”
Peele, who seems perfectly suited to executive produce ‘Lovecraft Country’ is also working on several other projects, TV series ‘The Twilight Zone’, and ‘The Last O.G.’ and the film ‘Black Klansman’. Abrams is attached to direct the next ‘Star Wars’ and is still attached as a producer for the ‘Star Trek’ franchise although his involvement in those is limited. He also produced ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ due in July. He serves as executive producer on the potential new series ‘Glare’. His current TV project ‘Westworld’, also on HBO is due to return on April 22.
It appears pre-production is just beginning on ‘Lovecraft Country’ but check back for updates as they surface.
Source: Deadline
