Have you ever thought what it would be like to see something like “Ghostbusters” but through the eyes of filmmaker Joe Cornish? If so, you’re in luck! “Lockwood & Co.” is a new Netflix series about people busting ghosts, but in an alternate grim version of London. Best of all, Joe Cornish is the showrunner of the new series. And in this episode of The Playlist Podcast, Mr. Cornish sits down to discuss his new show, as well as what’s to come in the future with a new “Attack the Block” sequel and more.
You probably know Joe Cornish best from his film work, including his breakout feature, “Attack the Block” and most recently “The Kid Who Would Be King.” He’s also a frequent collaborator with Edgar Wright, and the two guys, along with a few other folks, recently launched their production company, Complete Fiction. And the first product coming from that company is the new Netflix series, “Lockwood & Co.”
“Lockwood & Co.” is a supernatural mystery series about a trio of young people in an alternate version of London, where ghosts run rampant. In this world, there’s a strict curfew so people aren’t attacked by spirits and entities, and yes, there are plenty of homes that have unwanted otherworldly visitors. That’s where Lockwood and his two friends come in, as they are hired to vanquish these unwanted ghosts from homes and businesses. As Cornish describes it, the series covers a variety of genres, including bits of horror, detective shows, and relationship dramas.
In our discussion, we talk quite a bit about ‘Lockwood,’ including the process of adapting the novel series into a series, especially a story in an alternate history and plenty of required world-building. And when asked about how he was able to accomplish so much world-building in a way that doesn’t bog the story down in needless exposition, Cornish used a video game analogy to break it down.
“You know how a video game puts you in a laborious tutorial to teach you to use all of the button patterns? I do not like that,” explained Cornish. “I much prefer how they do it in ‘Zelda,’ where you just wake up in a cave, you walk out into the landscape, and you start learning by doing… My favorite world-building is a piece-by-piece breadcrumb trail, where you’re watching someone behave, you’re watching procedure, and you’re learning about the world by the way characters interact with it.”
We also talked about how that world-building and the story presented in the novels led to the very distinct musical choices in the series. As you might expect from a project by Joe Cornish, music plays a large role in “Lockwood & Co.” And though this series is set in a modern era, the very specific world presented, the alternate history where everything is very industrial, grim, and decidedly analog gave Cornish a lot of inspiration for the songs he chose. For example, don’t be shocked to hear Bauhaus or The Cure in random episodes.
“As a result [of the alternate history in ‘Lockwood’], it felt to me that the cultural atmosphere would not be dissimilar than how it was when I was a teenager in the mid-‘80s,” said Cornish. “There are all these elements that could be a parallel to what happens in ‘Lockwood.’ The music of that time was kind of romantic and depressing, but kind of beautiful. Like doom-laden but incredibly emotional, human, and personal. It was very analog and you could hear the sound of fingers on guitar strings and the breaths between the words and lyrics. So, I felt that kind of feel and period of music was perfect for ‘Lockwood.’”
Later in our discussion, we do talk about things not related to the new series. Cornish teases a bit more about what we can expect in “Attack the Block 2,” which he is currently developing with actor John Boyega. That film is expected to pick up more than a decade after the first and continue the story with Boyega’s character, Moses. And finally, we do touch on his history with Marvel Studios and the original “Ant-Man” film, which he was set to write alongside Edgar Wright. He talked about how much things have changed since those original meetings with Marvel well before the release of “Iron Man.”
“Lockwood & Co.” is available now on Netflix. You can hear the full discussion below:
The Playlist Podcast is part of The Playlist Podcast Network, which includes Bingeworthy, Be Reel, Deep Focus, The Fourth Wall, and The Discourse. We can be heard on iTunes, AnchorFM, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, and most places where podcasts are found. You can stream the podcast via the Spotify embed within the article or click on the lead image at the top page. Follow us on iTunes, and you’ll get this podcast and our other shows regularly. Be sure to subscribe and drop us a comment or a rating, as we greatly appreciate it. Thank you for listening.
