Dominique
asked
Matt Ruff:
When it came to adapting the book to screen how much say did you have in the direction? Are there changes you were excited to make to the story and which ones did you wish they had kept?
Matt Ruff
I shared my research and some notes with showrunner Misha Green, and I was available to answer any questions that came up, but I wasn’t involved in writing the scripts or in the day-to-day production of the show. With the novel, I’d already told my version of the story, and I was happy to step back and see what someone else would do with it. I was also smart enough to know that turning the book into a TV show would necessarily involve a process of translation that I wasn’t really qualified for, never having worked in a visual medium. I knew what Misha was capable of from her previous series, Underground, and I trusted her to do justice to Lovecraft Country, so I gave her my blessing to take the novel as a starting point and build on it as she saw fit.
And I haven’t been disappointed. I haven’t seen the full season yet – just the first few episodes – but what I have seen, I’m very happy with. The changes all make sense to me so far, and I think the pilot episode is phenomenal.
And I haven’t been disappointed. I haven’t seen the full season yet – just the first few episodes – but what I have seen, I’m very happy with. The changes all make sense to me so far, and I think the pilot episode is phenomenal.
More Answered Questions
A Goodreads user
asked
Matt Ruff:
Your book uses the Lovecraft mythos, but veers far from the tone of Lovecraft. Was that a conscious decision?
Jeffrey Keeten
asked
Matt Ruff:
Separating the man/woman from their art has been something that many of us have struggled with in recent years. Our heroes are flawed more than we want them to be. I felt like you were pushing back, with this African-American odyssey, against Lovecraft's own issues with race and misogyny. Do you struggle with separating the flaws of Lovecraft with your fascination with his writing?
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