'Lovecraft Country': Jurnee Smollett-Bell Faces Racism and Monsters in Trailer for Jordan Peele Series

(Hbo)

Coming to HBO in August is an all-new series, Lovecraft Country, adapted from Matt Ruff’s fantasy horror novel about life in the Jim Crow era. Produced by Jordan Peele and J.J. Abrams, the show was written and created by Misha Green, who is reunited with actress Jurnee Smollett-Bell. The two previously worked together on the WGN America series Underground

In the wild first trailer -- which recalls Peele’s other hypnotic uses of popular music -- audiences see Atticus Freeman (Jonathan Majors) joining up with friend Letitia Dandridge (Smollett-Bell) and Uncle George Black (Courtney B. Vance) as they road trip across the U.S. during the 1950s Jim Crow era in search of Freeman’s missing father (Michael K. Williams). What starts off as a haunting look at the terrors of racism slowly becomes more twisted when our three heroes are being hunted by something even more terrifying. 

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Rounding out the cast is Aunjanue Ellis (Emmy nominee for When They See Us) as Freeman’s aunt, Hippolyta Black; Wunmi Mosaku (Luther) as Letitia’s sister, Ruby Dandridge; Abbey Lee (Mad Max: Fury Road) as Christina Braithwhite; Jamie Chung (Once Upon a Time) as Ji-Ah; Erica Tazel (The Good Fight) as Dora Freeman and former Scandal star Tony Goldwyn as Samuel Braithwhite. 

While an exact premiere date hasn’t been announced, Lovecraft Country is slated to debut on HBO in August. 

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