Who is J.J. Abrams?

I’m sure all of you have heard of J.J. Abrams by now, unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last few years (ugh, cliché). He wrote Armageddon, that movie about the asteroid with Bruce Willis directed by Michael Bay. He created the TV series Felicity, about a girl in college named… Felicity. He then created the TV series Alias, about a young woman who is a spy. But the thing that he’s most well known for… and the thing he’s probably done the least for… is the show that everyone knows.

LOST.

A bunch of survivors on a plane flight from Sydney to Los Angeles crash land on a mysterious island. Everyone knows what Lost is. When people think of J. J. Abrams, they think of Lost. But why?

I believe the idea of a TV show set on an island about survivors of a plane crash was conceived by a guy named Jeffrey Lieber. But, as you can assume, it’s not really that original or an interesting idea. So the guys at ABC contacted J.J. Abrams (of Armageddon, Felicity and Alias fame) and got his input on the idea. He explained how he wanted the island to be mysterious and a character in itself… but he didn’t want to write it himself.

So they got him a co-writer. This is where Damon Lindelof comes in.

The two met, and wrote an outline for a TV show called Lost… and television history was made. The outline was approved, the two wrote a script, and then Abrams directed the pilot. The show was picked up and become a commercial and cult success.

After that, Abrams disappeared. He didn’t write or direct anymore episodes. As far as I can tell, the only thing he’s done has plot the third season premiere and “executive produce,” which all I know about is just sitting around and receiving money for nothing. If anyone should be credited with the success of Lost, it should be Lindelof.

Due to the success of Lost (and to a certain extent, Alias), Abrams was noticed by Tom Cruise, who saw the first season of Alias, and decided he wanted Abrams to direct the third instalment of Mission Impossible III, which turned out to be a pretty big success.

After this, Abrams went on to “executive produce” a couple of shows (probably buying expensive things and going on exotic holidays with all the money he was making). He guest directed an episode of The Office (US version) and then produced one of the most mysterious movies ever created… Cloverfield.

I’m sure everyone is familiar with the mysterious trailer that premiered in front of the Transformers movie (directed by Abrams’s old friend, Michael Bay). It’s the one with the people at the party, then there’s an explosion and you hear a giant monster roar and everyone panics. And then the Statue of Liberty’s head crashes down through the streets and the words “From Producer J.J. Abrams” pops up along with a date.

Everyone on the internet was wondering what it was. Eventually the title “Cloverfield” was leaked, and a massive game erupted across the internet with fans trying to figure out what the movie was about, how all the tie-in sites tied in… it was crazy. And all because J.J. Abrams’s name was attached.

The movie is actually written by Drew Goddard. It is directed by Matt Reeves. The only thing Abrams has contributed is the idea of a monster attacking New York City (a very original idea) but viewed through the eyes of people on the street (this is actually quite unique). The problem is… it is Abrams’s Cloverfield. It’s not Goddard’s Cloverfield. Or even Reeves’s Cloverfield. Abrams gets all the credit, and yet he’s only a producer… once more.

Currently, Abrams is directed the new Star Trek movie, due Christmas Day. He’s also creating a new TV series called Fringe. I have no doubt he’ll probably only write or direct the pilot episode and then become “Executive Producer” if it continues. After Star Trek, he is supposedly attached to an “Untitled Hunter Scott Project” and has shown interest in a series of Dark Tower film adaptions, based on the popular series by Stephen King. Apparently Abrams bought the rights to make a Dark Tower movie from King for $19 (a number of some import, King would say). Lindelof is supposedly the most likely candidate to be writing the screenplay (which is probably a good thing, as Lindelof is a big King fan and has packed in many references to his work in Lost).

Abrams has become incredibly popular. Some think he’s going to be the next Spielberg. Others think he’s just a hack. Either way, expect more big things from this man in the years to come.

Who is J.J. Abrams? Right now, he is money.

P.S. Also, just in case Mr. Abrams (awesome) or one of his crazy fans (slightly less than awesome) one day finds their way across this blog… I don’t actually hate you. I’m really a big fan. I just find it strange that you seem to have so many projects going on at once, and seem to jump from one to the next… but then again, that means we have more Abrams-related projects coming out constantly, which is a good thing!

Okay. That’s the end of my sucking up.