Jonathan Majors Rallies Around ‘Lovecraft Country’ 18 Emmy Noms After HBO Cancellation

Zack Sharf
·2 min read
3

It’s a bittersweet morning for “Lovecraft Country’s” talent and fans. The HBO genre series scored an impressive 18 nominations at the 2021 Emmy Awards, but the awards haul comes just several weeks after confirmation HBO canceled the series despite creator Misha Green’s intention to continue with a second season. “Lovecraft Country” picked up a nomination for Best Drama Series and earned acting nominations for Jonathan Majors (Lead Actor), Jurnee Smollett (Lead Actress), Aunjanue Ellis (Supporting Actress), and Michael Kenneth Williams (Supporting Actor).

“Oh my. Gratitude and surprise are running laps in my heart,” Majors said in a statement reacting to the nominations. “A full-throated thank you to the nominating body. Thank you for seeing the light in the dark, and the smile in the tears of this character, Atticus Freeman, he is one of my best friends, and I’m glad you all got to meet him as well. Playing this role has changed my life, and this nomination is yet another growing and changing moment. I’d like to offer a deep congratulations to my fellow nominees, I am honored to be listed amongst these incredible artists, all who in such a time offered humanity and respite to a historically chaotic year.”

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Majors concluded, “Finally, to my ‘Lovecraft Country’ family, congratulations to each and every one of you. I thank you for your spirits, hearts, fight, and support. Our journey continues…”

Smollett wrote in a statement, “I am in complete shock but feel incredibly humbled and am so grateful for this nomination! I’m tremendously thankful that the show and my amazing cast members were recognized for our work and Misha Green’s fearless storytelling. I feel like I’m living my ancestors wildest dreams. It’s such an honor.”

It remains to be seen what Majors meant when he wrote “our journey continues” — whether it’s implying a hopeful continuation or simply referring to the show’s presence at September’s Emmy Awards. After HBO canceled the series, Green took to social media to reveal early plans for what she had in store for “Lovecraft Country” Season 2. A screenshot of a Season 2 Bible revealed the new episodes would take place “in a new world, and that the new world is a country that sits precisely where The United States used to sit — welcome to the ‘Sovereign States of America.’”

Green included a map of the U.S. divided into new regions, including the Tribal Nations of the West, the Whitelands, the New Negro Republic, and the Jefferson Commonwealth. The showrunner later teased the Whitelands territory is “completely overrun by zombies — most of them the slower variety, but with pockets of fast-moving zombies, too.” The new season would’ve included a subtitle, making it “Lovecraft Country: Supremacy.”

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