Apple TV's Ghostwriter: Luke Matheny & Andrew Orenstein on The Wizard of Oz, The Rolling Stones & more (Exclusive)

Apple TV's Ghostwriter returns for its third installment on October 21, 2022, after two successful seasons. There's a brand new cast and fresh mystery brewing! Executive producers Andrew Orenstein and Luke Matheny spoke to SK POP on a variety of topics to hype up the upcoming season.

Apple TV's Ghostwriter usually features beings from the afterlife and, consequently, popular literary fiction characters who come alive on the screen. This time, however, the show will have even more depth since the showrunners decided to explore social justice issues like racism through the lens of a young cast.

Orenstein and Matheny, the two acclaimed creators who are at the core of this project, spoke to us about adapting material from The Wizard of Oz, The Rolling Stones, and how the cast stepped up to do justice to the script.

Catch the interview in its entirety below.

---

Orenstein would like to collaborate with Bruce Springsteen if Apple TV's Ghostwriter returns for a fourth season

With Ghostwriter season 3 set to address sensitive social justice issues, Orenstein explained how the maturity of the young actors helped him navigate any challenges he faced along the way.

"Well, it’s something with which you have to be very careful. Luckily, we cast actors who had the intelligence and the maturity and the ability to handle those sort of topics and those scenes. But we also were also very careful in working with consultants to make sure we handled it sensitively and realistically. So, it was a really good challenge actually."

It's fairly easy to be drawn into the world of Apple TV's Ghostwriter because the first adaptation is a familiar one. Matheny elaborated on the timeless nature of The Wizard of Oz and why it was their tale of choice:

"I mean, I knew we had to start the season, or we had an instinct we had to start the season with just a very well-known book to draw everyone in. And there’s just something about adapting the Wizard of Oz that brings a lot of story and characters to it. You know you’re going to have to deal with someone’s courage, someone’s heart, someone’s brain. And these are things that are fun and can pay off emotionally at the end."

But then, Apple TV's Ghostwriter also delves into the world of rock n' roll with a Rolling Stones adaptation. Orenstein commented on the same, saying:

"Well, it was important because we wanted to introduce kids not just to literature but other types of writing as well. So we thought about music, which is a type of writing. And based on what we needed in the mystery, the fact that The Rolling Stones gave us the rights to their song, we were beyond thrilled."

Matheny added:

"And we were great…this band Tank and the Bangas, New Orleans based band that’s very fun…they had to adapt the song. That process was really cool and they were amazingly collaborative."

Upon being asked who they would like to work with if there's a season 4, Orenstein laughed and said:

"Well, I’ll see if Springsteen is available. I wouldn’t mind that."

Matheny, who directed the first episode of Apple TV's Ghostwriter, also gave his input.

"I think Dr. Seuss would be really cool especially with any kind of visual effects. I think The Lorax is always a great character that has a great kind of environmentalism theme to it. So, Lorax would be my number 1."

Finally, to end the interview on a spooky note, we asked the showrunners how they would go about sending messages from beyond the grave, like their show's ghostly being. The response was heartwarming.

"I think we'd both like to send a message of love to our families."

---

People of all ages can enjoy this new offering. While the primary audience for Apple TV's Ghostwriter consists of children because of its family-friendly nature, any bookworm would love to unwind with this easy-to-watch series, just like they would with a book.