LaToya Morgan Can't Be Put in a Writer's Box
- UpRising Editors
- May 5
- 6 min read
[THE MAIN EVENT]
Fresh off a standing ovation at Cannes Film Festival, the showrunner and versatile writer talked to UpRising about her and J.J. Abrams’ anticipated action-thriller, Dusted.
UpRising: How would you describe your writing style?
LaToya Morgan: My writing style is very visual. I like to be really descriptive yet very sparse on the page. It’s also very character-driven. I love genre so I like to let that guide my style. If I’m writing a horror film, I’m doing everything I can to scare you on the page. If it's a story about family, I’m looking for new and fresh ways to make you cry and feel those moments of love. I like taking the audience on a rollercoaster ride.
What was the moment when you knew writing for television was what you wanted to do?
One of my biggest influences on the TV side was X-Files. I was such a big fan of that show. It had all the things I loved. It had the mystery of what was going on with these government conspiracies and if there were aliens, but it was grounded in this relationship between these two FBI agents who had each other's backs. So I would say that, and of course, my love of all-things Rod Serling. Those were the biggest influences on me wanting to write for television. That episodic feeling where you’re excited to come back to these characters that you love every week is something I was fascinated by.
You’ve worked on massive IPs like The Walking Dead. Was there anything you were able to add to your toolkit from working on that show?
Well, I learned how to survive a zombie apocalypse [laughs].
Indeed.
I think the biggest thing was [learning from] Angela Kang — who was the showrunner of the show when I joined — how to wrangle such a huge production. I would ask her questions about how she's juggling this three-ring circus and doing it so well. I'm fortunate to have a few showrunners like her who were wonderful about sharing insights into the challenges of the job. It prepared me for when it was my turn to be in the captain's chair.
You’re in the captain’s chair on Duster, a show you worked on with J.J. Abrams. You two had to write that show during Covid. What was it like putting words together when the world was in disarray?
I was grateful that I met with J.J. right before everything shut down. We got close really quickly because there was so much to talk about with what was happening with the world and us all trying to remain safe. It wasn't just about working on the script. We really cared about if everything was okay in each other's lives. As we were building this show together, we already had similar tastes, things that we both really liked, but we learned how to find common ground on things, too. If he liked A and I liked Z, we would find a way to come up with something that hit the notes of what we both wanted and that we both got excited about.
Can you give me an example where you were at A and he was at Z, and then you guys found that middle ground?
There's lots of things, but most of the time it was about finding the best approach for our scenes and sequences. How do we put a different spin and our own special sauce on this kind of storytelling? How do we walk the tonal tightrope of the show as a crime thriller, that’s also a family drama, with action and comedy mixed in? So we both got really good at knowing what the other would like. And we had so much fun figuring out those middle grounds.
What made Keith David the ideal person to play the show’s gangsta, Ezra?
Keith is a legend, first and foremost. He is such a phenomenal actor. He plays every role with so much authenticity. His range is impeccable. He can be that intimidating force if you need him to, or he can be really soft-spoken and vulnerable. For Duster, we asked him to play that and so much more. I was just honored that he read the script, loved the role, and wanted to be part of the show.
Rachel Hilson plays Nina, who is an FBI agent. Tell me about her character.
Nina, in our world, is the first Black FBI [female] agent, but in history, the first Black FBI agent was a wonderful woman named Sylvia Mathis. She didn't come into the FBI until a few years after our show is set. So there is an actual true first person.
Is Nina loosely based on Sylvia?
Nina is a fictional character we created from the ground up. She’s not Sylvia, but she was definitely a touchstone. In 1972, the FBI started letting women into the bureau, so it was a combination of those things as well as inspiration from family and friends that helped us build this character. Nina is tough, resilient, and super smart, and Rachel really digs into what motivates Nina on her journey in the show. And in this first season, we put Nina through the ringer!
There’s great history between Josh Holloway and J.J. Abrams. How was that working relationship for you?
I have been a big fan of his since he was Sawyer on Lost. He is so charming in that show. In this show, he gets to do that times a hundred, and then he gets into all the trouble and is the fixer guy who gets himself out of it. Duster has lots of great character and acting turns and Josh is really good at playing them.
You’ve compared the show to '70s classics like Starsky and Hutch. What are you looking to recapture reaching back into that decade of television?
We wanted a throwback to those '70s and '80s shows that were full of action and character. We liked the idea that you don't know what kind of wild adventure characters are going to go on from week to week, and hopefully the audience really wants to go on those adventures with us. We talked a lot about great 1970s influences: Godfather, of course, Bullitt and Steve McQueen and his car. That was really one of our inspirations for Jim. We talked a lot about smaller '70s films, like Five Easy Pieces, very character-driven films, but then bigger things like Coffy, The Parallax View, Vanishing Point, and Sugarland Express. So if you love crime thrillers with character and heart, this is the show for you.
Changing gears. You’ve talked about wanting to see more Black writers at the mid-level. Are you starting to see that increase?
There's not enough. I think the middle is where there is a challenge because there's several upper and lower level Black writers. But the middle is where we need to shore up because that's where you start to get the experience. If the goal is to become a showrunner, that's the best way to really learn how it's done. That's the way to give people the training that they need so they go to set and cover their episodes and learn what it means to produce, and then hopefully get an opportunity to be in post and see what it's like to produce the episode in the edit and deliver it.
You’re big into vision boards. Looking at what you put together for 2025 are you satisfied with how it’s going?
Oh my God, yes! It's so funny that you brought that up because it's on the wall in my office. At the top of the year, I added all this stuff about travel and I was just thinking more vacations. This week, I was just at the Cannes Film Festival for the international premiere of Duster. And so I got to travel to the South of France for the first time, which was amazing for my first show as a showrunner. We had a five-minute standing ovation from 2,500 people who were watching it. That was pretty wild. As I was flying back, my friends were sending me messages with pictures of the Duster billboards all over the city [in Los Angeles] and in New York. It's just been beyond my wildest dreams.
—Jermaine Hal
_____
Stream Duster on Max on May 15
Post-Credit Notes: Morgan is also writing the screenplay for the sequel to horror classic Night of the Living Dead. “There are lots of cool and fun set pieces and new things that are being introduced to the story and the mythology,” says Morgan. “I'm purposely being vague, so I don't spoil anything [laughs]. But I’m hopeful we’ll be seeing that on our screens soon – it’s on my vision board!”
The UpRising newsletter is a mixtape for your mind filled with information that's intellectual and irreverent—no skips. Whether it's film, music, art, food or the culture full stop, UpRising will serve as the starting point to your deep dives.
