'Lovecraft Country': Meet Jonathan Majors, Jurnee Smollet-Bell and the rest of the cast of HBO's horror series
Mingling the idea of racism into the world of the arch patron of White supremacy was a concept both provocative and hilarious in itself but Matt Ruff's 2016 novel is now arriving as an HBO TV series. Titled after the book, 'Lovecraft Country' follows a young man called Atticus, who tags along with his uncle and a childhood friend to search for his missing father. In its '50s setting, Atticus braves the harsh realities of racial terrorism in a predominantly White America but that's not his only problem.
Equally spine chilling monsters from signature HP Lovecraft territory make their way into Ruff's story and its HBO adaptation developed by Misha Green, Jordan Peele, and JJ Abrams can be expected to be just as terrifying.
"Atticus Black he joins up with his friend Letitia and his Uncle George to embark on a road trip across 1950s Jim Crow America in search of his missing father. This begins a struggle to survive and overcome both the racist terrors of white America and the terrifying monsters that could be ripped from a Lovecraft paperback," teases the plot synopsis. Sure Atticus is Black and not Turner anymore, but the carefully sifted cast is just as potent and capable of sprinkling all the Lovecraftian essences in the air that you need this August. Here are all the big names in the upcoming series.
Jonathan Majors as Atticus Black
Majors plays the protagonist Atticus in the upcoming adaptation. This comes after he had already starred in Spike Lee's Netflix drama 'Da 5 Bloods', as the younger self of one of the titular war vets - David. The Yale School of Drama graduate has an MFA in acting, and had made his acting screen debut with ABC's 'When We Rise'.
Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Letitia "Leti" Dandridge
Smollett-Bell plays the main character's childhood best friend Letitia, with whom Atticus embarks on the adventure into the great beyond. The actress is no stranger to the screen herself having made her debut in the mid-'90s. Recently, she was also cast as DC Comics superheroine Black Canary in the DC Extended Universe, making her first appearance in the Harley Quinn ode, 'Birds of Prey'.
Courtney B Vance as George Black
George is Atticus's warm, funny, and very well-read uncle. As for Vance, the screen veteran needs no introduction. He is a familiar face in the American TV procedural territory and plenty of other independent crime thrillers. 'Law & Order: Criminal Intent' was his most prolific credit until he played Johnnie Cochran in Netflix's 'The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story' which also won him the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie.
Aunjanue Ellis as Hippolyta Black
Atticus' aunt and a star-gazer Hippolyta is a true adventurer when it comes to her spirit. Ellis too is adventurous with her filmography,, having starred in some of the most groundbreaking productions of our time, such as 'Quantico', 'The Birth of a Nation,' and finally Netflix's 'When They See Us', which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie.
Michael Kenneth Williams as Montrose Freeman
Atticus journey is significantly made harder thanks to his father's stubborn secretive nature. Williams on the other hand is a widely popular face in entertainment, his credits bragging names like 'The Wire', 'Boardwalk Empire', 'Bessie, '12 Years a Slave', 'When We Rise', and 'When They See Us'. The actor has three Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie nominations for his roles in 'Bessie', 'When They See Us'. and 'The Night Of'.
'Lovecraft Country' premiers this August 16 at 9 pm on HBO.
