J.J. Abrams' Projects

Abrams Hopes for Fringe Season 5

2012-01-23T04:29:00.002-05:00

Fringe Executive Producer J.J. Abrams tells TV Line that, "We remain hopeful that Fringe will be able to continue." This seems to indicate that Fox is at least willing to listen to the idea. Do not get your hopes up as Fox president Kevin Reilly (and one to make the decision) said that Fringe was losing the network money as it seems to find new rating lows each week. I think they only way Fox would renew the show is if the entire production costs are covered by Warner Bros. WB is the studio that makes the show might be willing to do that to hit that 100 episode milestone that will increase syndication possibilities worldwide. It seems show runner Jeff Pinkner is prepared for cancellation or renewal saying "Worst case scenario, if this were the last aired season of Fringe… we know what the end of this season is going to be and it can function as a series finale." The economics of TV today makes me think that syndication dollars are not enough to prevent cancellation.

JJ Abrams Talks Alcatraz

2012-01-08T22:17:00.002-05:00

Today at the Television Critics Association’s press tour to promote Alcatraz, the series executive producer talks about the series that will debut on January 16th on Fox. He revealed little about the show except to say "this show was designed as episodic with an overarching large mythology we get to over time."

He also briefly commented on the changing of show runners halfway through filming, essentially dismissing it, "[Elizabeth Sarnoff] helped the pilot get to a place that was extraordinary. "She didn’t feel like she was the right person to run the show" after creative changes were made.

The impression I get is Fox demanded the show have a villain (escaped convict) of the week format with the serialized (aka mythology part) de-emphasized. The mythology will be the reveal of how and why the inmates of Alcatraz were allowed to jump forward in time (and hopefully explain how they adjust to a new era at a fast rate). My thinking is the show's format will not be much different than The Mentalist with its mystery of the week and the occasional "mythology" of the Red John serial killer. Or if need another example of a more sci-fi bent, go with the show that created the episodic with serialized mythology format - The X-Files. JJ Abrams sales pitch for the show to TV viewers can be found here.

Abrams' Bad Robot Released iPhone App

2011-12-28T17:54:00.002-05:00

J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot has entered the iPhone app business with Action Movie FX. The free app comes with missile attack and car smash effects that can be added to a video shot from within the app. The profit comes from letting you buy additional effects at the cost of $.99 in packs of two. The current affects you can buy are chopper down/tornado action and airstrike/fire fight bundles. The app can be used on any camera enabled iOS device. More details can be found here, demo video below.
Read more »

Abrams' Alcatraz Premiere Scheduled

2011-12-02T02:12:00.002-05:00

After teasing a January premiere for JJ Abrams next television series, Fox has finally announced when the show will air. The pilot episode will are on Monday January 16th from 8-10pm. After that the show will start airing in its regular Mondays at 9PM time slot.

New Alcatraz Trailer

2011-11-28T21:05:00.003-05:00

A new trailer for Alcatraz has debuted that hints a little bit more about the series which is executive produced by JJ Abrams. There still isn't a set date and time for the series debut but the trailer at least narrows it down to January.

Super 8's Star Trek Contest

2011-11-21T04:54:00.001-05:00

Paramount is a new contest to promote the release of JJ Abrams' Super 8 on Blu-ray and DVD tomorrow called "Super 8: Watch It & Walk-On" sweepstakes. Two lucky winners will get walk-on roles in Star Trek 2 that JJ Abrams is directing and begins principle photography in January. Usually "walk-on" tends to be literal as essentially an extra what will "walk" in the background of whatever scene be it a street or the bridge of the Enterprise to help sell the scene. To win, go to www.Super8Sweeps.com and answer the Super 8 trivia test. The contest runs from November 20th to December 4th and open only to US residents that are 18 and up in age.

JJ Abram's Alcatraz Showrunner Exit

2011-11-17T03:28:00.002-05:00

It seems JJ Abrams' produced TV series Alcatraz has experienced a bit of a bump with the co-creator of show stepping down as executive producer. No reason has have been given nor any indication if it was her choice or Fox's. She will be replaced by Jennifer Johnson (Cold Case) and Daniel Pyne (Fracture). The series is expected to premiere sometime early 2012 but no date has been set.

JJ Abrams Talks Revolution

2011-11-08T02:37:00.003-05:00

In an interview with Hero Complex, JJ Abrams puts on his producer hat to talk about his upteenth show he is developing for television. Called "Revolution, the potential TV series is from the mind of Eric Kripke (Supernatural). In typical fashion, absolutely nothing is known about the pilot except the concept is an "epic adventure thriller". The very brief interview is basically Abrams talking about how much he likes working with Kripke and what a great writer he is. You can find the article here.

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol Trailer

2011-10-27T23:03:00.002-04:00

The official trailer for JJ Abrams' Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol has been released. I assume it will be attached to Puss N Boots and other new films shttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.giftarting this weekend. The HD version can be found at Yahoo! Movies.

Mission: Impossible 4 Burj Khalifa Featurette

2011-10-26T20:58:00.001-04:00

MSN UK has posted a brief featurette that shows Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol as it filmed at the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa. While Tom Cruise hung from the outside of the building, the director and crew where inside filming.

<a href='http://video.uk.msn.com/watch/video/mission-impossible-ghost-protocol-burj-kalifa-sizzle/107ewrubl?src=v5:embed::' target='_new' title='Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol: Burj Khalifa sizzle'>Video: Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol: Burj Khalifa sizzle</a>

Person of Interest Gets Full Season Order

2011-10-25T19:20:00.003-04:00

TV Line reports that JJ Abrams' Person of Interest has recieved a full season pick-up from CBS. The show has been averaging an outstanding near 14 million viewers each week. Not sure what the total episode count will be for the season but likely in the 20-24 ballpark.

New Mission Impossible IV Poster

2011-10-25T19:18:00.003-04:00

Below is a new poster for Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, produced by JJ Abrams, that highlights core cast of the film.

Alcatraz Series Promo

2011-10-25T10:43:00.000-04:00

Below is the first promo for the premiere episode of the JJ Abrams produced Alcatraz TV series that is coming to Fox in January. For now its just a teaser of what is to come and in typical Abrams' fashion reveals absolutely nothing.

Mission: Impossible Gifted Dark Knight Sales Boost

2011-10-24T22:37:00.002-04:00

The IMAX screenings of Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol has been given a gift that will surely boost the sales. AMC Theatres has confirmed that the movie will get an IMAX only six minute prologue from The Dark Knight Rises. The chain further confirmed that the prologue is only for "real" IMAX theatres that take the 70mm film, not the digital IMAX that have popped up of late in modified theatres. The exact locations have not been worked out. Ghost Protocol hits IMAX on December 16th with widespread release on December 21st. The Dark Knight doesn't come out until next summer.

Writers Hired for Abrams' Micronauts

2011-10-17T22:43:00.001-04:00

JJ Abrams has found his writers for Micronauts, the movie he is executive producing with Hasbro. The property is based on an 80s toy line about heroes in a microverse. The writers tapped for the project are Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese who wrote Zombieland and next year's G.I. Joe 2.

Mission: Impossible 4 With IMAX Footage

2011-10-06T20:30:00.003-04:00

A new press release reveals that Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol will have about 30 minutes of footage shot specifically with IMAX cameras. The result will be the effect used in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen where the screen will expand to fill the entire IMAX screen to display the footage in real IMAX. Revenge was the last film to use real IMAX cameras to film scenes as all "IMAX Experience" movies since then were really the standard films just made bigger. Press release below. The IMAX film is getting an early release of December 16th, 2011.
Read more »

New Mission Impossible IV IMAX Poster

2011-10-04T22:17:00.002-04:00

A new poster has been released for the JJ Abrams produced Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol. The IMAX poster features Tom Cruise hanging off the side of the Burj Khalifa skyscraper as seen in the trails. The movie is set for "limited" release on December 16th with widespread release on December 21st.

JJ Abrams Prepping Adventure Movie

2011-10-03T21:10:00.002-04:00

Deadline is reporting that JJ Abrams has sold a mystery adventure project to Paramount. The untitled project is written by Bill Ray (A Captain's Duty, Pan). No details on release date, cast or anything else. All this means is Paramout is interested in the movie but probably months away before the greenlight that provides the funding to move to the pre-production phase.

Mission: Impossible 4 Release Date Change

2011-09-28T20:53:00.003-04:00

The release date for Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol has changed from Wednesday, December 21st to Friday, December 16th. The change is being called a "preview" in select theaters but the number of theatres was not provided. Considering the release date of Friday, I doubt anyone will have a problem seeing the film. The move seems to be a response to a crowded Christmas slate that includes The Girl with the Golden Tattoo and Steven Spielberg's War Horse.

J.J. Producing TV Adventure Series for NBC

2011-09-26T19:55:00.002-04:00

It seems that J.J. Abrams just can't get enough of producing as he has signed on for yet another TV series (joining Fringe, Person of Interest and Alcatraz). The show, called Revolution, is a "one-hour NBC drama described as "an epic adventure thiller" according to Deadline. The show was created by Eric Kripke (Supernatural) who also is working on a Deadman series based on the DC comics ghost character. No idea if this means the show is being prepped as a possible mid-season replacement or just early groundwork for the 2012-2013 season.

Super 8 Home Video Details

2011-09-15T20:24:00.003-04:00

The details for the home video release of Super 8 on DVD and Blu-ray have been revealed via a press release. The movie is set for a November 22, 2011 release with a Combo Pack of Blu-ray, DVD, Digital Copy. There will probably also be seperate copies of Blu-ray and DVD discs. As for the special features, there will be commentaries, 9 behind the scenes videos and deleted scenes. Full details below. Hopefully this isn't the final cover as the large yellow box with quotes is truly ugly.
Read more »

Abrams Commits to Directing Star Trek 2 (Updated)

2011-09-13T21:37:00.001-04:00

Vulture is reporting that J.J. Abrams has decided to direct Star Trek 2. Their sources indicate that pre-production has started and the script is expected by the end of the month. Star Trek 2's extended delay due to various film projects from Abrams (Super 8), Roberto Orci (Cowboys vs. Aliens) and Alex Kurtzman (Welcome to People) is the primary reasons why the film was forced to abandon its intended June 2012 release date. A new date has not been scheduled but I would not be surprised if it’s not bumped to May 2013 even though I think Thanksgiving 2012 is a better release time. Keep in mind that Abrams choosing the direct the film and Paramount agreeing to meet his price are two separate things but I would be surprised if things don't get worked out after the studio delayed the film in hopes of getting him back as director. (via TrekMovie)

Update: Entertainment Weekly has independently confirmed Vulture's story saying "EW has confirmed that the insatiable media multi-hyphenate has signed on to direct the sequel to his 2009 hit Star Trek."

JJ Abrams Briefly Talks IM4

2011-08-04T19:37:00.002-04:00

While promoting the upcoming CBS TV series Person of Interest, show executive producer JJ Abrams briefly discussed Star Trek (delayed, not signed on as directory) and Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol with Collider.

As producer, what are your thoughts on Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and Brad Bird as the director? Is it the best one in the series?
ABRAMS: I think it’s the best one of the series. I do. First of all, you’ve never seen a live action Brad Bird movie, and yet when you watch it, you go, “This is a Brad Bird movie.” You realize you’ve been watching Brad Bird films that just happen to be animated. It’s really fun. It’s got a fun intensity to it, and that’s Brad. It’s the biggest one, by far, in terms of the stuff that happens in it. Also, there are other things like a portion of it was shot in IMAX and there’s a sequence on the tallest building in the world, the Burj in Dubai, where Tom Cruise did five days worth of wire work outside the building that is so insane, you cannot believe the insurance company let him do it. When you see it on IMAX, it’s terrifying. It’s crazy, what he did. It really is unbelievable. It’s weird to be in meetings with him and think, “That dude was running down the outside of the building!” I’m talking to him, he’s in my office, and he did that. It’s weird. It’s like talking to Buzz Aldrin. You’re like, “That dude was on the moon!”

You could have been the guy who killed Tom Cruise.
ABRAMS: Well, you’re always afraid of that ‘cause Tom wants to do every stunt. But then, when he does it, you realize he can.

Mission: Impossible 4 Bumped Back

2011-07-28T03:08:00.003-04:00

Deadline reports that Paramount has bumped the release of the JJ Abrams' produced Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol back five days from December 16th to December 21, 2011. The change does nothing the lesson the competition in the Christmas two week period. Instead of competing directly against Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, it will now have to deal with that movie's second week and the release of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Other movies are also getting release then but these three are the big ones.

SDCC Alcatraz Panel Summary

2011-07-25T00:39:00.002-04:00

A panel was held at the San Diego Comic-Con to introduce fans to Alcatraz, the new show for Fox coming next January that is executive produced by JJ Abrams. The panel revealed a little bit more about the show which involves 256 inmates of 1963 Alcatraz suddenly arriving in the present. Below is the summary of the panel from Collider.

“Certainly there’s no better show” than “Lost,” Sarnoff said after screening the “Alcatraz” pilot episode Saturday evening in Ballroom 20. But “we’re our own show. We want to do our own thing…. We’re thrilled to be doing something else that will hopefully be somewhere near as entertaining.”