Last week we reported that JJ Abrams had landed an Alcatraz-themed pilot at Fox and was shopping a crime thriller TV pilot as well. Today comes a report that the Star Trek producer/director is also shopping a third pilot for the 2011/2012 seasons: a comedy drama with two veteran Lost actors. More details below.
JJ Abrams comedy/drama with Lost actors + Abrams/Nolan project lands at CBS
According to the New York Magazine Vulture blog, JJ Abrams is working with writers Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec (Alias, Mission: Impossible 4) on a comedy drama pilot called Odd Job, about former black ops agents with "a dose of Humor". The pitch already has two leads: Michael Emerson (Benjamin Linus) and Terry O’Quinn (John Locke), from Lost (co-created by Abrams and Star Trek producer Damon Lindelof). Of course O’Quinn is also known to Star Trek fans as Admiral Pressman in the TNG episode "The Pegasus". For his part, Damon Lindelof tweeted today that he has nothing to do with this Odd Jobs project.
O’Quinn and Emerson in "Lost" – pair may star in new JJ Abrams comedy Drama "Odd Jobs"
And in our last Abrams pilot pitch article, we noted he was also shopping a crime thriller TV pilot with Jonah Nolan (co-writer of The Dark Knight). Vulture is now reporting that this pilot (now called Person of Interest) has landed at CBS. If the pilot moves forward, it will be Abrams first series at CBS, after creating shows for all the other networks.
Abrams is currently finishing up casting and getting ready to start shooting his Steven Spielberg collaboration Super 8. Pre-production on the next Star Trek movie (which Abrams is producing and possibly directing) will start up around the beginning of the year, or by the time Super 8 goes into post-production. The beginning of the year is also traditionally "pilot season" when all the TV pilots begin to gear up for production.
What’s it up to, 387 different projects and counting?
Okay, this isn’t funny anymore!
As soon as they get to Star Trek, they’ll have left all their energy with something else.
I smell a sitcom!
Of course all of us Lost fans are rooting for a Sawyer/Miles buddy cop spin off. ;)
So wait a minute. Abrams and Spielberg slammed together a trailer for Super 8 and they hadn’t even finished CASTING yet?
What.
Just as long as they don’t screw over O’Quinn’s character by having him killed off halfway in and replaced by a smoke monster.
Well. Sounds like an Interesting Pilot. J.J is one hard working Man. Just give Trek all the attention it so rightfully deservies.
O’Quinn and Emerson in a new Seris by the creator of Lost called. Lost in a Sitcom in Space. Hey. it could work.
Hope this happens. These guys were among the very best elements of a truly great show! Would love to see them together again!
O’Quinn makes everything better. Loved him in Mliienium.
If JJ and crew put as much energy into getting a new Trek movie out as they are with their other projects, then we could get a film on the level of the last one every summer. Just focus in on Trek, or at least, could Abrams make up his mind and say that he’s not directing, then have another director (Nick Meyer?) take the helm and start getting to work. From my estimate, they should be in pre-production fairly soon, instead everyone’s doing their own thing. C’mon!
Ben Linus in comedy ? WHAAAAAAAAAAAT ?
lol.Looks cool. O’Quinn is awesome. So is Michael Emerson. But Ben Linus is awesomer.
Ok, Abrams is attached to
Fringe – exec prod
MI:4 – co-exec prod
Person of Interest – co-creator/ producer(?)
unknown project w/ Jonah Nolan – ?
Alcatraz – executive prod
Super 8 – writer/director (probably written some time ago?)
Undercovers – co-creator/co-prod
Boilerplate – co-prod
Star Trek 12 – ?
Have I left anything out? No doubt, within the next 15 minutes there will be something new on Abrams’ plate!
I have nothing but respect for the guy…
OK Anthony, Please open the wagering poo… I mean… survey…
“How many times per episode will Michael Emerson’s charcater get the snot beaten out of him?”
RE 12
Abrams also has a number of other films in development actually (at Paramount), and probably some other TV shows we don’t know about. And the Persons of Interest project and the Nolan project are the same thing. But once past the pilot, Abrams really isnt hands on with any of these shows. His job (for Warner Bros) is to develop TV series and put together the teams and ensure they get launched.
So in terms of what he is really working on, right now Super 8, MI4 and pilots for 2011 are his focus for the next few months, with Super 8 being the biggest thing as he is directing and co-producing. In 2011 Star Trek sequel will grow to be the big focus as some of those other projects reduce in focus.
Remember that whenever you see JJ’s name it is actually JJ and his Bad Robot partner Bryan Burk (another Trek producer), plus he has additional producer/showrunners for each of these TV projects.
In the first episode, Emmerson’s character should smack out O’Quinn’s character in the first five minutes just to change things up. I hope this makes it to series, these two are fantastic together.
For me, it may be hard to seperate these two from their LOST characters and see them as new characters.
The crime thriller better be the Miles/Sawyer team up from the Lost Altverse/afterlife (spoiler alert!)
Other then directing Super 8, he’s not really writing or directing anything else. So he’s not THAT busy. He’s producing a ton of stuff, but thats not that bad.
This just in: There will be a new show next fall. JJ Abrams will write, produce, direct and star. It is tentatively being called “JJ Abrams” based upon JJ Abrams created by JJ Abrams. There will also be a ton of new JJ Abrams products released.
Including but not limited to:
1.JJ Abrams lunch boxes
2. socks
3. toothbrushes
4. under-roos
5. action figures
6. cologne
7. bibles.
JJ Abrams will also be involved in other projects. Again, including but not limited to:
1. curing ALL diseases (Human, Animal, etc.)
2. Negotiating peace in the middle east.
3. Playing Jazz Flute with Will Farrell
4. Taking over all Dos Equis Commercials because he’s THE MOST INTERESTING MAN IN THE WORLD!
LOL
#19
Brilliant
This just in, Abrams to direct Star Wars reboot.
14 Anthony
Thanks for the clarification about Person of Interest. Of course, everyone is holding their breath over Star Trek, but it will be interesting to see how these other projects turn out, see which ones stick. I’m particularly interested to see how MI:4 turns out, considering Tom Cruise’s status at this point in his career.
And Super 8 looks like it could be a lot of fun. I seem to recall Speilberg’s original idea behind what became Close Encounters was to be a dark, spooky alien arrival story. It will be interesting to see what Abrams’ story is like. And he does seem to be able to keep his projects a secret…
I first noticed Terry O’Quinn in the brilliantly depressing show Millennium. When I heard he was going to be on a show called Lost, I was very interested. He didn’t disappoint me, but Lost quickly did. I’d like to see O’Quinn in something good. I’ll cross my fingers…
Why is this article on a Star Trek website????????? It’s not Trek. It’s not Trek related. Just because JJ made a “star trek” movie doesn’t mean I’m willing to embrace him into the star trek universe.
JJ Abrams doesn’t know anything about star trek. He’s just a cocky director who’s arrogant enough to think that being hip gives you license to re-write a franchise.
I don’t care what other projects he’s working on. Maybe he should work on getting Vulcan back….or study the appeal of character driven dramas.
I submit:
JJ Abrams is the great Squire of Gothos. He has observed Trek from afar and re-created it’s forms…unfortunately they are without life, drama, interest, flavor or substance.
Great news. I thought Emerson was actually hilarious on Lost.
But seriously, GET TO TREK, JJ!!!
22
Nice to hear from others who liked “Millenium”. I need to rewatch the dvds one of these days.Terry O’Quinn was great alongside Lance Henrickson.
“The Pegasus” is one of my favorite TNG episodes. O’Quinn was great in it.
“Lost” definitely wouldn’t have been as good without him in the cast. And I hate how the writers killed Locke off and replaced him with the Smoke Monster.
23
Shut up and quit bitchin’ already!
23. “primer”
“JJ Abrams doesn’t know anything about star trek. He’s just a cocky director who’s arrogant enough to think that being hip gives you license to re-write a franchise…”
What specifically is it he doesn’t know about Star Trek? How do you know he’s cocky and arrogant? Have you met the guy, hung out with him? At least you give him credit for being “hip,” but that’s not what gave him license to re-write the franchise… the execs at Paramount gave him that. And you must know that he didn’t actually write the story or screenplay anyway…
It seems to me that Abrams’ list of successes and projects would indicate the guy knows what he’s doing and has achieved some degree of respect within the industry, as well as with an audience. He must be doing something right, hm?
As for Abrams’ involvement with Star Trek, the film is currently in the hands of Orci, Kurtzman and Lindelof, so there’s really no need to harp on Abrams for having HIS hands on numerous projects. When the time comes, all we need to know is whether or not he will be directing.
I think this was actually Terry and Michael’s idea…I’ve seen them on shows together saying they thought their post-LOST work should involve the two of them in a sitcom. Sounds like something close to that is being developed.
Yeah, this was definitely originally Michael Emerson and Terry O’Quinn’s idea originally. The two actors liked working together so much, that around the time Lost ended, they started trying to come up with a show idea to use both of them. In interviews around that time, Emerson says he created a pitch about the two of them as “suburban hitmen,” and was attempting to shop it around.
So, apparently, JJ picked up on it and is now helping them get it off the ground. Cool beans…
@p.technobabble
Don’t bother with primer. He’s probably one of those blog trolls
I think they owe it to Terry after the shameful way they ended John Locke’s story arc. That was, by far, my biggest disappointment with LOST.
J.J. is very prolific type guy isn’t he ?
Mister multi-tasker…..
This just in – J.J. will now be overseeing the entire Sci-Fi / Fantasy genre…..
– W –
* Hey, it could happen *