Lovecraft Country teaser trailer

In a series of tweets this week, Misha Green, Jordan Peele, and J.J. Abrams hinted that HBO was about to drop a trailer for Lovecraft Country. Sure enough, it’s here!

I know people are going to have a ton of questions about this, so here’s a quick Q&A:

What is this?

An HBO series based on my 2016 novel of the same name. You can read more about the book here.

Are you excited?

I’m bouncing off the walls with excitement. Can’t you tell?

Have you seen the show yet?

No. I read a draft of the pilot script, and visited the film set a couple of times, but this footage is as new to me as it is to you.

How faithful is the series to the novel?

Since I haven’t seen it yet, I can’t really say, but it’s a safe bet that, as with any adaptation, there will be changes, some large, some small.

How do you feel about that?

I’m fine with it. I already have my version of the story; I don’t need an exact copy. As it is, watching the trailer is like getting a glimpse of a parallel universe—one whose elements are familiar to me, but still different enough to feel fresh: There’s the Winthrop House; there’s the white citizens’ brigade who want Letitia out of the Winthrop House; there’s Hippolyta’s orrery; oh, wow, there’s the Braithwhites’ pet shoggoth. It’s a translation, for sure, but it’s cool.

Is there anything else people should know?

Online references to the show rightly credit executive producers Jordan Peele and J.J. Abrams, without whom this wouldn’t be happening, but they sometimes fail to mention Misha Green. As the series’ showrunner, Misha mapped out the season, wrote or co-wrote all of the scripts, and oversaw the day-to-day production. More than any other individual, the series’ success rests on her shoulders (no pressure, Misha!), so it’s only right that she should get credit too.

When will the show air?

August. I’ll let you know the exact date once HBO announces it.