J.J. Abrams sounds like one of those amazingly talented guys. He’s running with Alias, Lost and MI:3 right now, and that doesn’t cover his upcoming projects:
The Catch, a bounty-hunter comedy/drama starring Grunberg and Don Rickles.
Pros and Cons, a drama about con artists working for the feds.
What About Brian?, a relationship show centered on an unmarried guy in a circle of friends.
An unnamed comedy for Saturday Night Live alum Cheri Oteri.
Coming Soon carry a few clips from a story in USA Today about his hectic schedule and the man himself. Unfortunately it carries little about MI:3 itself, but there is an insightful paragraph:
Abrams is thrilled about M:I-3, but he says even that had to be viewed through other work and family responsibilities. His wife – “the most wonderfully, brutally honest person I know” – said he had too much on his plate. He told Cruise he couldn’t start shooting until after he finished the TV season. Cruise agreed to wait.
Action scenes and special effects will remain an M:I-3 staple, Abrams says, but his take will focus on who Cruise’s Ethan Hunt is, “not just what he can do.”
His work on Alias and Lost has shown he can produce some excellent quality shows as well as stars, and they talk highly of him:
…says Victor Garber, the spy father of secret agent Sydney Bristow (Garner). “No one was there to direct the second-unit stuff, so he directed it,” Garber says. With that kind of commitment, “everybody just works harder.”
Alias star Jennifer Garner, a Golden Globe nominee, is happy to be back despite a busy movie career. (Her Elektra opens Jan. 14.)
“It’s J.J.,” Garner says. “He has helped make Alias a family for me. I’d keep coming back for him as long as he wants and (as long as) there’s an audience for the show.”
Alias is a stunning show, and it has just resurfaced on UK terrestrial TV for it’s third series. I’m on 6am on series three of 24 and the opening episode of Alias grabbed me more than the high point of that, and I think that says a lot for the writing and directing of the show.
Have a read of the article for an insightful look into Abrams working life, and you can see why Cruise wanted to wait for him. I think MI:3 is an excellent chance for Abrams to shine.
