Now that the Oscars are behind us (by about three weeks), we can view them with discerning and well-founded criticism. As such: It was a pretty good show.
Placing a weathered eye on the horizon, many of the directors and actors involved have very interesting things that they have been working on or are attached to. What this means for us is that we have a few things to look forward to.
Jordan Peele
The acclaimed director of the incredible and fantastic Get Out is set to produce a new series for HBO called Lovecraft Country. This series is based on a 2016 book of the same name written by Matt Ruff. The book tells the story of a black man named Atticus Turner who journeys across the country during the Jim Crow era. Along his way, Atticus begins to discover even more terrors—these supernatural, instead of the terrors of racism—that would feel more at home in one of H.P. Lovecraft’s stories. The novel paints a compelling narrative of racism in the past, mirroring the racism of today, through a lens of classical horror. HBO seems to be the perfect place for this silver-screen adaptation. Peele, as producer, would be in charge of putting together the team, so to say, that would be involved in bringing this story to life. Typically producers are influential in the decisions about directing, editing, and the hiring of most people behind the camera. Peele’s involvement in this show will further solidify his status as a powerhouse in media, as well as give him a greater say against the traditionally racially monolithic state of film crew.
Greta Gerwig
The stand-out director of Lady Bird, another fantastic movie—probably one of the best coming-of-age movies in quite a long time—has two upcoming acting roles. She is a voice in lsle of Dogs which, at time of writing, is eminently approaching. The actress plays a character named Tracy Walker who, judging from the trailer, is one of the child characters featured prominently in the movie. She is also a main character in the upcoming Bergman Island, in which she shares the screen with John Turturro (a fantastic actor aside from his roles in the Transformers franchise). This movie is directed by Mia Hansen-Løve, a French director who has made her mark with very artistic movies so far. Judging solely from the cast, director, and short bio, this movie has a great head start on being a high-quality artistic piece.
Saoirse Ronan
Probably one of, if not the, best actresses of her (our) generation, Ronan recently starred in Lady Bird and was tragically snubbed for Best Actress (even though Frances McDormand was great). Ronan does, however, have a few upcoming movies that look very interesting. These movies are Mary, Queen of Scots and The Seagull. Both movies are period pieces, which means Ronan gets to return to dated costumes á la Brooklyn (another great movie of hers). In the former, Ronan plays the historical Mary Stuart after her attempted usurpation of her cousin, Elizabeth I (played by Margot Robbie!). The latter, The Seagull, is a film based on the play by Anton Chekhov. Ronan is the first billed in the movie, directly ahead of the amazing actress Annette Bening (who recently killed it in Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool).
I, for one, am waiting with bated breath for the release of each of these properties so that I can promptly see them in theaters (or stream them to my couch in the case of Lovecraft Country) and write reviews for my adoring fans.
Featured Image by Wikimedia Commons
