Few filmmakers have directed as many major franchises as J.J. Abrams. The director’s first film, Mission: Impossible III, revitalized the Tom Cruise-led film series and set it on a course towards becoming the best franchise around right now, and of course he successfully rebooted Star Trek and Star Wars for the big screen, helming two entries in each franchise. But now, through his Bad Robot production company, Abrams has his sights set on major superhero projects.
Shortly after Bad Robot struck a deal with WarnerMedia in 2019, it was announced that Abrams’ production company would be involved in producing some DC Comics adaptations for Warner Bros. Justice League Dark is one that we know of, and recently we learned of another: a Black Superman movie produced by Abrams and written by Ta-Nehisi Coates.
So when Collider’s own Christina Radish spoke with Abrams recently during the press day for the Apple TV+ series Lisey’s Story (which Abrams produced), she asked the filmmaker what excites him about tackling DC projects. Impeccably skilled at never revealing too much, Abrams answered by talking about the difficult balance in tackling beloved IP based on his past experience:
“Well, I'll say that the opportunity to get to work on any pre-existing franchise is definitely a double-edged sword. And while I'm incredibly grateful and proud to have been involved in the projects, of course, all I see is what things could have been and what we might have done. The importance of it is not lost on me, as temporary custodians of any ideas, whether they pre-exist us or not, which is to say I think that even with an original idea, somehow I still don't quite understand where that creative impulse comes from and how the experience of writing something really is yours. I feel like we're all just channeling something that we're trying to serve, as opposed to something that we are doing and that is our work.”
Abrams added that getting to work with beloved pre-existing material is an honor, but also talked about how at the end of the day, it’s just about telling a great story:
“But I think being a temporary custodian of a project, for as long as you have it, is no small honor or responsibility or obligation. It blows my mind, of course, but you have to do the work. I think if you stay in a state of amazement at what it is that you're working on, it's hard to actually get anything done.”
While Abrams’ career began as the creator and showrunner of original series like Felicity and Alias, to date he has only directed one original film, 2011’s Super 8. Asked whether he would be directing any of these DC movies that Bad Robot is producing, the Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker filmmaker said he’s eager for his next project to be an original story versus wading back into tackling existing IP himself:
“I know that Hollywood is a place where it used to be that people would be inspired by something that they would see or an old film or a show or something and think, ‘Oh, here's my response to that. Here's a version of that that.’ It's become a place where, more often than not, you see something and people get inspired by it and go, ‘Let's redo that exact thing.’ I feel like, as someone who started writing in television and telling original stories on film and in TV, it is something that I really do miss. The few things that I'm working on now, as a writer, are original ideas. I just feel, as a director, I really would love to have my next projects be things that didn't pre-exist me necessarily.”
That’s certainly an exciting prospect, if only because the bulk of Abrams’ film output as a director has been his own takes on existing IP and we know he's capable of some truly fantastic visual storytelling. We know one upcoming HBO series, Demimonde, is a wholly original story created and written by Abrams, but I’m personally eager to see what a J.J. Abrams original movie looks like a decade plus after Super 8.
Look for more from our interview with Abrams on Collider soon. Lisey’s Story starts streaming exclusively on Apple TV+ on June 4th.
Reporting by Christina Radish.