Yesterday, there was finally an official announcement concerning the fate of the HBO genre hybrid series “Lovecraft Country” based on the novel by Matt Ruff and brought to the small screen by showrunner Misha Green. “Lovecraft Country” mixed the H.P. Lovecraft mythology, juxtaposed with the setting of the Jim Crow America during the 1950s. And it was rather shocking news at that or at least a major surprise.
Sadly, Deadline revealed that the network had canceled the show ending plans to move forward with season two. They also pointed out (see below) that cast members, like breakout stars Jonathan Majors and Jurnee Smollett, made room in their schedules as they thought that HBO would greenlight a second season of “Lovecraft Country.”
While the show was well-liked and critically praised, the viewership seemingly wasn’t big enough for HBO to rationalize the budget. Whispers of the show’s cancelation had been brewing for months—because of the cost and lower-than-expected ratings —and now there is confirmation.
When Misha Green signed on to write and direct MGM‘s “Tomb Raider” sequel starring Oscar-winner Alicia Vikander (after Ben Wheatley exited to focus on “The Meg 2“), there had been an assumption that she would be too busy to work on a season two and signaled that it would be delayed for at least by a year. However, this might not have been the case as Green shared on Twitter (see below) a piece of her season two plans for “Lovecraft Country: Supremacy.” The post includes a map of the United States divided by race and renamed The Sovereign States of America.
Fans will have to hope that a Season 2 will be picked up elsewhere.
The show is produced by the dynamic duo of Jordan Peele and J.J. Abrams, so there is some hope that it could find a second life somewhere else. Potentially, where the hefty budget won’t be much of a concern, streaming options feel like a good way to go, as Jordan Peele’s Nazi-hunting series “Hunters” is at Amazon Prime Video and could be a second home for “Lovecraft Country” as they don’t seem to mind paying top dollar for genre content.