j.j. abrams

J.J. Abrams made his bed, stuffed it with money and gold bricks, but now he‘d rather not lie in it. The director has risen to the top of Hollywood’s most-wanted list in recent years as a serviceable conductor of franchise pictures; he did right by the Mission: Impossible series, then moved on to mount the massive Star Trek resurgence, and brought Star Wars back to the grateful people of Earth with Episode VII. But this whole money-in-the-bank reputation comes with its downsides. Speaking with People, Abrams indicated that he‘s had his fill of franchise pictures and would prefer to explore some original concepts in the years to come.

It’s pretty well known that Steven Spielberg was a major force (h’yuck) in getting J.J. Abrams the assignment directing Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Lucasfilm wanted a director. Spielberg wanted Abrams to get the gig. “I brought J.J.’s name up,” he said in a roundtable interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “I thought J.J. would be the best person to direct Episode VII and I called J.J. and said ‘Would you do it if it was offered to you?’” Abrams was initially reluctant (he thought his wife wouldn’t want him to take any more time-consuming franchise gigs), so Spielberg actually took Abrams and his wife Katie out to dinner on Lucasfilm’s behalf, asked Katie if it was cool if J.J. directed Star Wars, and basically made a Love Connection of the whole thing. The rest was history.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens was, for most people, a deeply satisfying experience. Director J.J. Abrams and his cast and crew returned the franchise to its former glory, reuniting beloved old characters with exciting new ones. It was the best Star Wars movie in at least 30 years.

The release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens last Christmas was one of the most anticipated events of the season, and naturally everyone had an opinion. From Twitter misanthropes to awestruck fan site die-hards, all four corners of the internet were buzzing with approval or disappointment.

Just when you thought Fred Armisen’s deleted SNL finale sketch the last of Season 41 to hold you over for summer, in swoops a bonus round of celebrity Star Wars auditions! SNL dusted off the November sketch for another round, this time including Matthew McConaughey, along with impressive impressions the likes of Jennifer Lawrence, Shia LaBeouf and more.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens was released on digital HD, Blu-ray and DVD earlier this month with plenty of bonus features, including six deleted scenes. But those scenes only make up about three minutes, when we know that director J.J. Abrams cut almost 30 minutes from his original edit...

Last night, J.J. Abrams participated in a Q&A with Chris Rock at the Tribeca Film Festival, where topics ranged from superhero films to lens flares to — inevitably — Star Wars: The Force Awakens. When asked if Rey’s parents are in the film, Abrams basically said no, sending fans into a speculation spiral as they crossed Han Solo, Luke and Leia off their lists and prepared to begin a new chapter in their theorizing. But then Abrams clarified his comments in a later statement, taking us right back to where we started with this whole crazy speculation game.

The Super Bowl commercials weren’t without some early surprises and who better to keep and deliver a secret than J.J. Abrams. Though it was widely reported that Paramount would use their Super Bowl ad time on a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 trailer, it turns out that might’ve been a clever bit of misdirection. Right before kickoff, Paramount instead debuted a revealing new 10 Cloverfield Lane trailer, which gives some serious hints at its connection to the original Cloverfield.

There was a lot of paranoia about spoilers in the days and weeks (and months [and years]) leading up to the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Trailers gave almost no indication of a plot beyond the presence of a) stars and b) wars. The official poster didn’t include a picture of Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker for fear of revealing his fate. Even press screenings were delayed until the last possible moment to keep the lid on J.J. Abrams’ latest mystery box for as long as humanly possible.

Reports began to surface this evening via social media that a trailer for Bad Robot’s upcoming mystery project is attached to screenings of Michael Bay’s 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi. The film is titled 10 Cloverfield Lane, and while many suspect it’s a secret Cloverfield sequel, there is some evidence to support that this not quite true, including a statement from J.J. Abrams himself. So what is 10 Cloverfield Lane, exactly?

Although George Lucas is no longer involved, interviewers can’t help but ask the creator of the Star Wars franchise for his thoughts on Disney’s new direction with the series. Lucas recently shared some brief, civil thoughts on The Force Awakens, calling it “very much the kind of movie” fans have been looking for, but what does that mean, exactly? In another new interview, Lucas elaborates.

J.J. Abrams revved up the engine on the ol’ Star Wars ship, launching the series on a new journey with The Force Awakens, but declining to return for the subsequent sequels. Instead, Rian Johnson (Looper) and Colin Trevorrow (Jurassic World) will be steering the franchise from here on out, directing Episodes 8 and 9, respectively. Johnson is in production on Episode 8 right now, and according to The Force Awakens star Daisy Ridley, the script is “very good.” How good? Abrams regrets turning down the chance to direct it.