J. J. Abrams

Fans were relieved this week to learn that Lawrence Kasdan would be writing another “Star Wars” movie. After all, it was Kasdan who penned “The Empire Strikes Back,” the film that is almost universally regarded as the best in the series. It was partly for the fans, Kasdan said, that he decided to return to “Star Wars” — just not the fans you’d expect. “[My] kids are looking forward to it,” Kasdan said. “It’s a movie that my grandson, who’s not even 3, is already excited about. There are not many movies like that.” Indeed, and Kasdan wrote three of them. After 1980′s “Empire,” George Lucas recruited Kasdan to pen the “Return of the Jedi” — the final installment in the trilogy — as well as “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” the film that began the “Indiana Jones” franchise. What […]

Are you ready for “Portal,” the movie? J.J. Abrams and his company Bad Robot Productions will collaborate with Valve Software to develop the games “Half-Life” and “Portal” into movies, Abrams and Valve Software CEO Gabe Newell announced this week. The announcement came Wednesday during a joint keynote talk by Abrams and Newell  at the D.I.C.E Summit, an annual gathering sponsored by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Photos: Video game film adaptations The two also said their companies would work together to develop games, Wired reports. So far details are skimpy on what a “Portal” or “Half-Life” movie would look like, and it may be a while before we find out. Abrams’ film “Star Trek Into Darkness,” is due in theaters May 17, and he was recently tapped to direct “Star Wars: Episode VII,”  the next installment in the landmark […]

Last month, news that J.J. Abrams would direct “Star Wars: Episode VII” took the entertainment world by storm. Today, a new conversation begins — who’ll direct the “Star Wars” spinoff movies that Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg are writing? In an interview with CNBC Tuesday, Walt Disney Co. chairman and CEO Robert Iger confirmed that in addition to releasing “Star Wars: Episode VII,” Disney will also distribute “a few” stand-alone films that are not part of the overall saga. Kasdan, who co-wrote the screenplay for “Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back,” and Kinberg are working on the scripts for two of those projects. Online speculation has suggested Yoda would be the subject of one of the movies, but Iger did not specify which characters might receive stand-alone treatment. It’s big news that is sure to generate a […]

Alright, “Star Trek” fans, the wait is over — the wait to download the new “Star Trek” app, that is. With only about 100 days until J.J. Abrams’ “Star Trek Into Darkness” opens in theaters (but really who’s counting?), the new app is now available for free download in the U.S. and Canada for iOS and Android at Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store. Designed to appeal to hard-core “Trek” fans and more casual users, the “Star Trek” app comes with between 30-40 missions, with eight to 10 available at any given point and the option to skip missions that don’t seem especially interesting. New missions will become available every week. Some missions will involve scavenger hunts, such as finding and scanning the latest “Star Trek Into Darkness” poster or visiting an AMC theater; some tasks will use an […]

The Millennium Falcon is changing course. Now that “Star Wars” has a new studio home, a new movie in the works and a new director, other adjustments are in store for the franchise: Lucasfilm is postponing this fall’s scheduled 3-D re-release of “Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of The Clones” and “Episode III — Revenge of the Sith.” “Given the recent development that we are moving forward with a new ‘Star Wars’ trilogy we will now focus 100% of our efforts on ‘Star Wars: Episode VII’ in order to ensure the best possible experience for our fans,” Lucasfilm said in a statement. “We will post further information about our 3D release plans at a later date.” The changed plans don’t come as a huge surprise — last year’s 3-D re-release of “Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace” grossed […]

The news might have broken Thursday afternoon that J.J. Abrams would direct the latest installment of the “Star Wars” movie franchise, but Disney and Lucasfilm finally confirmed his selection late on Friday. “It’s very exciting to have J.J. aboard leading the charge as we set off to make a new ‘Star Wars’ movie,” Lucasfilm chief Kathleen Kennedy said in a statement issued late in the day. “J.J. is the perfect director to helm this. Beyond having such great instincts as a filmmaker, he has an intuitive understanding of this franchise. He understands the essence of the ‘Star Wars’ experience, and will bring that talent to create an unforgettable motion picture.” George Lucas went on to say in a release, “I’ve consistently been impressed with J.J. as a filmmaker and storyteller. He’s an ideal choice to direct the new ‘Star Wars’ […]

It’s a question that immediately sprang to the minds of fans of two franchises with Thursday’s news that J.J. Abrams will direct “Star Wars: Episode VII.” What happens to “Star Trek”? According to Paramount Vice Chairman Rob Moore, Abrams — who directed both 2009′s “Star Trek” and the upcoming sequel “Star Trek Into Darkness” — will still be involved in some capacity with a possible third “Trek” movie, at the minimum as a producer, if not also directing the film. Moore also pointed out that Abrams will continue to play a role in another of the studio’s most valuable franchises, “Mission: Impossible.” “J.J. will continue to develop projects for us including a new ‘Mission: Impossible,’ and he is committed to produce another ‘Star Trek,’” Moore said Friday afternoon. With 2009′s big-screen reboot of the beloved television and movie series, Abrams […]

It’s no secret that J.J. Abrams knows his way around a mystery. So maybe fans shouldn’t have been quite so surprised to hear the news that he’ll be the guiding force behind the camera for the next big-screen “Star Wars” film — maybe all those publicly issued denials were simply an expert act of misdirection? The man who most recently has been spending the bulk of his time guiding the latest incarnation of “Star Trek” on the big screen had insisted for weeks that he wouldn’t be jumping franchises to board “Episode VII,” though he did reveal to Empire in an interview late last year that he’d been approached about the project. “I quickly said that because of my loyalty to ‘Star Trek,’ and also just being a fan, I wouldn’t even want to be involved in the next version […]

Reaction to Thursday’s news that “Star Trek Into Darkness” filmmaker J.J. Abrams will be directing the next “Star Wars” film has been decidedly mixed. The seventh installment in the epic franchise is only scheduled to reach theaters in 2015, but speculation about who would helm “Episode VII” has been circulating since October, when the Walt Disney Co. went public with its plans to acquire Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion and announced the upcoming “Star Wars” trilogy. When “Lost” creator and “Star Trek” director Abrams was announced Thursday, “Star Wars” fans took to (where else?) the Internet to voice their approval or displeasure. Some fans congratulated Abrams on his Facebook page, while others begged him not to drop the ball. A petition titled “Disney: Stop J.J. Abrams from directing the next Star Wars film” appeared on Change.org. And of course, the Twittersphere […]

J.J. Abrams is set to direct “Episode VII.” Sources have confirmed the “Star Trek Into Darkness” filmmaker will helm the next “Star Wars” movie, the highly anticipated installment in the landmark franchise scheduled to reach theaters in 2015. PHOTOS: ‘Star Wars’ at the box office [Updated: 10:30 a.m. Jan. 25]: The news first broke on The Wrap website Thursday afternoon. Abrams, who previously had denied that he would be involved with the project, is now in a position of creative control over the two most beloved franchises in the science-fiction universe: “Star Wars” and “Star Trek.” Abrams rebooted “Star Trek” for the big screen in 2009 to much acclaim and rousing boxoffice receipts, with the film collecting upwards of $385 million. His follow-up, “Star Trek Into Darkness,” is due in theaters May 17. His decision to direct a “Star Wars” […]