Confirmed: ‘Super 8’ is JJ Abrams Next Film As Director – Co-Produced With Steven Spielberg

The drip drip drip of the secret JJ Abrams project continues. Today comes more details on Super 8, which has a teaser trailer showing with  Iron Man 2 this weekend. It is now confirmed that Super 8 is a collaboration between JJ Abrams and Steven Spielberg. More details below, including a description of the trailer.

 
JJ and Steven to Super 8 in 2011

On a few occasions in 2010 Abrams had discussed he was writing a new film he hoped to direct in 2010.  Today the trades are confirming that this new film is a collaboration between Abrams and Steven Spielberg titled Super 8.  This film is not related to Cloverfield, but is an original idea written by Abrams. JJ Abrams is also producing along with his Bad Robot partner Bryan Burk and with Spielberg. Super 8 will premiere in the summer of 2011. Variety reports production starts this fall with a budget of $45 – $50 million.

As for plot, Variety says "it is inspired by Abrams’ favorite movies growing up, including some of Spielberg’s. The Hollywood Reporter Heat Vision Blog notes that the Abrams team is not confirming any plot details, but offers this:

What [the teaser trailer] doesn’t let anyone in on is the plot of the movie or the rest of the context that we had heard actually generated the idea. Namely, the possibility that a group of kids in 1979 are playing around making movies with their Super 8 cameras (as Abrams and Spielberg did as kids) and accidentally capture something … sinister, on film.

Teaser Description

The teaser trailer for Super 8 is attached to Iron Man 2, which opens at midnight movies tonight (Thursday). Abrams is reported to have directed the teaser trailer. This seems to be similar to Star Trek, where Abrams directs a teaser before production on the film starts. So, like with Star Trek, the footage seen in the Super 8 teaser may not end up in the final movie.

And if you want to get even more spoiled, the guys at SlashFilm have posted a leaked teaser trailer.

A train rushes by the screen. We notice that it has lots of cargo.

Text comes on the screen: “In 1979, The U.S. Air Force Closed A Section of AREA 51.”

We see the railroad crossing light blinking and ringing as the camera pans up we see some sort of light moving in the background. What is it? A UFO?

More Text: “All The Materials Were To Be Transported To A Secure Facility In Ohio.”

No, it appears to be the headlights of a yellow 1970’s truck, which skids in a 180 degree motion, and suddenly pulls onto the tracks.

Point of view of the truck heading into the light.

Black screen and white text: “From Producer Steve Spielberg”
[read the rest at slashfilm.com]

Mission 4 moved

In addition to announcing Super 8 for Summer 2011, Paramount has also moved the release date for Mission: Impossible:IV from Memorial Day weekend 2011 to December 6th, 2011. MI4 is being produced by JJ Abrams and Tom Cruise (who also stars). Abrams has yet to announce his pick for director.

What does this mean for Star Trek Sequel?

Abrams has previously told TrekMovie that if he were to direct the Star Trek sequel, he would want to direct something different in between the two Star Trek films. Super 8 fills that bill. In order to deliver the Star Trek sequel in time for the June 29, 2012 release date, producers JJ Abrams and Bryan Burk can start rolling cameras rolling as late as the Summer of 2012. That means both Super 8 and the Star Trek sequel can be made without any overlap in production, but there would be overlap with pre-production on the Star Trek sequel and post-production on Super 8.

 Abrams is used to juggling multiple film and TV projects (just like Steven Spielberg) so it is still possible for Abrams to choose to direct the Star Trek sequel. The trade articles on Super 8 also come to the same conclusion that the Star Trek sequel production will follow Super 8, with THR noting Abrams is "expected" to direct both.

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It’s Slusho. The train is delivering Slusho. To a giant Lion (“It’s Huge!). But the truck is being driven by a mutated whale. And the train is driven by Voltron and Cthulhu.

Oh, I am SO aboard that Voltron/Cthulu choo-choo. I wonder if there will be flubber?

Super 8 or Viewmaster

I just hope IM2 doesn’t suck.

its actually for the Trek sequel..

they are transporting Khan

So, he is just “Steve” and not Steven now? Way to go Steve-E-Boy! Maybe they are bringing back Richard Dryfuss from the CEO3K ship and he has some anger issues?

Hmmm. Looks Interesteing. Hey. Maybe it is Quark and Rom and Nog. Hey. They did land at Area 51 and in this alternate universe they never made it back to the 24th century. Odo could be somewhere nearby.

Sounds exciting!

I hope TrekMovie.com keeps us updated with “Super 8” info!

I think you have a typo. Unless JJ has a time machine if cameras roll by Summer 2012 it will be late for the June 29, 2012 release date.

Can’t wait!!!!!!!!!!!!

OK, I’m in. I’m a sucker for these kind of films. If they can ramp up a good, 70’s-style, low budget type of sci-fi/horror flick, it’s destined for my DVD rack.

Lilke they said JJ can do Mutplule Projects at once, he can Direct both Super 8 and the next Trek Flim. Also JJ can attach his name to the flim as producer and people will still go see it because it will have many great flim writing names attached to it.

I have Great Faith that Star Trek 2012 will be a great Sequal and will do well.

The last time I saw a yellow pick up on railroad tracks it had Richard Dreyfuss in it getting a one sided sunburn.
Maybe it’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind meets Blair Witch (the untold story)

Nah, I’m sure it’s something much better.
In the 70’s, nobody could touch Speilberg for popcorn movies.

:)

#13

Except for his good buddy George Lucas of course.

man why did this description all of a sudden made me hum the X-files theme tune :D

What if it is a sequel of sorts to Close Encounters. That would be amazing!

Sounds like “Stand By Me” meets Antonioni’s “Blow Up” (later remade by Brian DePalma as “Blow Out”). Both “Blow Up” and “Blow Out” deal with someone, who in the process of doing their job accidentally record something they shouldn’t have. Danger ensues.

Both are remarkable films in their own right, but Antonioni did it first. Still, it sounds like a great idea and I love the idea of kids shooting their own Super 8 epics. I think I need to start digging out my old issues of Cinemagic magazine and relive the good old days!

Pierre

That actually sounds like it could be interesting. Can’t wait to watch it.
On a side note…is it just me or do JJ Abrams and Steven Spiel look kind of like father/son in that pic?

19. Well they definitely look alike……

Sounds cool but I hope it doesn’t screw up the progress of the Star Trek sequel.

#16

From the looks of it, it will be a monster movie. Although I don’t know much about how that box car door works, but if you were able to turn the handle from the inside wouldn’t that forgo the need to bash the hell out of the door in order to get out?

Stupid monster.

Very x-files-ish

I would hope they consulted Chris Carter… He has done amazing work IMHO

Start rolling cameras in summer 2012?? Isn’t that a bit late?

Here’s a better look at the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZX0LEtOkxw

Who cares. More distracting mind numbing crap on the way from JJ abrams. What this has to do with the philosophy of star trek? Nothing at all. JJ is a pathetic joke and a shill of hollywood. Can’t stand the man nor his work, which is invariably geared toward the lowest common denominator. I don’t care what anyones opinion of this is either. Save it or waste your time spouting it.

They’d better be shooting Super 8 on film ;-)

They found a Federation shuttle under Las Vegas in the 50’s when excavating for a casino. The remains and the crashed shuttle went to Area 51 for dissection. Name tags made of a material not found on earth list Kirk, Spock, and Sulu. Do they match the bodies? who wants to stop the train- the Federation or Klingons or the Mob or a foreign power? Stay tuned to whoever writes the screenplay. In fact combine Super 8 and Star Trek called Super Trek or Star 8.

This movie is an adaptation of a little known novel called Revolution. Search Roswell on authonomy.com