J.J. Abrams

[Celebrity]

J.J. Abrams: TV Guide News

Fox: On the Fringe of a Breakout Hit? | Roush Dispatch | 7/14/2008
After a season rocked by a writers’ strike, shortened episode orders and a defecting audience, all eyes are turning to the new fall season and the hope of maybe a new hit or two reigniting the business.“I’d hope that this fall is a reset,” says Fox entertainment president Kevin Reilly, kicking off his network’s portion of the TCA press tour Monday (following a performance and panel from summer smash So You Think You Can Dance; Reilly, for the record, stayed in his... read more
New Star Trek's Captain: Quinto's "Extraordinary" as Spock | Movie News | 7/14/2008
Trekkies know that Captain Kirk and a certain dry Vulcan named Spock became unlikely best friends throughout the original Star Trek franchise. But, how did they become one of TV's best odd couples? J.J. Abrams discussed the relationship at a Television Critics Association panel, saying, "We never saw how Kirk and Spock became so connected, and this movie [reveals that]." Did all of your (pointy) ears just perk up?So, since the very important beginning of the Spock/Kirk friendship is featured in... read more
Fall TV Press Tour: 24, Fringe, Truth Talk & More | Today's News: Our Take | 7/14/2008
Matt and Mickey here at the TCA press tour. Fox entertainment president Kevin Reilly has taken the stage to field questions. • First discussing Fringe, Reilly says that Fox was hot to work with J.J. Abrams, and thus offered him a series "on Day 1." Pegging Fringe as "X-Files meets Indiana Jones," Reilly says, "Sometimes with these big show runners, it's all hype and no delivery.... This one is going to bring the goods."• Reilly reiterates that which has been said before and by others:... read more
J.J. Abrams Engages in a New "Mystery" | Movie News | 6/18/2008
Lost creator and Star Trek "captain" J.J. Abrams next will serve up a "Mystery on Fifth Avenue," as producer of a Paramount feature based on a New York Times article published June 12.Penned by reporter Penelope Green, the Times story detailed an Upper East Side apartment that was specially designed to feature hidden compartments, puzzles and secret codes for the owners' four preteen children.Maya Forbes (The Larry Sanders Show) and Wally Wolodarksy (The Simpsons) will adapt the article into a... read more
Fox's Fringe, Dollhouse to Run with Half the Ads | Today's News: Our Take | 5/15/2008
Fox entertainment chairman Peter Liguori at Thursday's upfronts presentation unveiled a "Remote-Free TV" initiative, under which Fox will launch its two new dramas — J.J. Abrams' Fringe (premiering in late August) and Joss Whedon's Dollhouse (debuting midseason) — with half the commercial and promo time of a typical series. That adds up to no more than about five minutes of national ad loads per hour, and this applies to every episode.In the wake of increased competition from cable,... read more
Young Hollywood Awards Bring Hot Stars, Cool Scoop | Party Central: The Latest Buzz from Your Favorite Stars | 4/29/2008
"It takes a special kind of person to be part of young Hollywood," host Aisha Tyler told the audience at Hollywood Life's 10th Annual Young Hollywood Awards, before rattling off the undergarmentless achievements of Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and friends. But at Avalon nightclub, the young ones honored were far from the scandalous kind. Chris O'Donnell, America Ferrera, J.J. Abrams and more took center stage to honor those on the cusp of breaking through, purely on the basis of... read more
Exclusive: A Conversation with Trek's Two Spocks | Movie News | 4/15/2008
With the summer 2009 premiere of J.J. Abrams' Star Trek still more than a year away, Leonard Nimoy has officially passed the torch as Spock to cast mate Zachary Quinto. The rite of passage happened at Sunday's Grand Slam XVI Sci Fi Summit in Burbank, Calif., and came in the form of a T-shirt that said "No.1 Vulcan." "I think I'm going to have to grab a marker and change it to 'No. 2 Vulcan,'" a touched Quinto said to the audience. TV Guide later welcomed the opportunity to talk with the "two... read more
Exclusive: Jackson's Grey's Stint Fades to Black | Ausiello Report | 2/22/2008
It appears Joshua Jackson's Grey's Anatomy gig has ended before it began. And once again, the writers' strike is to blame. To quickly recap, Grey's announced last fall that the ex-Dawson's Creeker would be joining the cast for a multi-episode arc as a doctor and, as I would later report, a love interest for Cristina. Unfortunately, just weeks before he was scheduled to shoot his first episode, the writers went on strike and Jackson's stint, just like the TV biz itself, was put on hold. Cut to... read more
Ghuy'Cha'! J.J. Abrams' Star Trek Bumped to 2009! | Today's News: Our Take | 2/14/2008
Variety reports that Paramount is pushing back the release of J.J. Abrams' Star Trek from Dec. 25 of this year to May 8, 2009. We guess the studio wants to capitalize off the huge buzz that their casting news and trailers have received by letting fans stew in their geek juices a bit longer. Oh, we're stewing.Officially, the switcheroo was attributed to the studio's release calendar, and now Star Trek has no competition in its new slot — at least not yet, even though it opens one week after... read more
Joshua Jackson Enters J.J. Abrams' Fringe | Today's News: Our Take | 2/8/2008
Now , casting would appear to be rather complete on J.J. Abrams' Fringe pilot for Fox. Dawson's Creek alum Joshua Jackson — who when last heard from was to visit Grey's Anatomy's Seattle Grace, but... strike happens — will play Peter Bishop, the son of the institutionalized scientist teamed with a female fed (Aussie actress Anna Torv) to investigate unexplained phenomena. Oh, Peter is also a high-school dropout/gambling addict with an IQ of 190.Filming is now under way in Toronto. read more
J.J. Abrams' Fringe Finds Its Young Lady Fed | Today's News: Our Take | 1/31/2008
J.J. Abrams ventured Down Under to find the female lead for his Fox pilot, a href="Joshua Jackson Enters J.J. Abrams' FringeFringe. Australian actress Anna Torv (The Secret Life of Us) has been cast as Olivia Warren, a young FBI agent who must work with an institutionalized scientist (John Noble) to investigate a rash of paranormal phenomena. Additionally, says the Reporter, Blair Brown has been cast in the two-hour pilot as the brilliant head of a cutting-edge research facility, while Jasika... read more
Coming Soon: Star Trek XI | Today's Top Videos | 1/28/2008
It may be a ways off (OK, maybe more than a ways off considering it doesn’t come out until Christmas), but you have to see this teaser trailer for the next of the Star Trek installments. If you haven’t heard about it, Lost’s J.J. Abrams will be directing Star Trek XI, which chronicles the early years of Kirk and company (and, side note, Zachary Quinto from Heroes is playing Spock in this version). Even if you’re not a Trekkie, the scene of the U.S.S. Enterprise being built... read more
J.J. Abrams' Fringe Taps Wire's Reddick | Today's News: Our Take | 1/24/2008
Casting on Fringe, J.J. Abrams' pilot for Fox, is nearly wrapped up, with two of the three leads now filled. Aussie actor John Noble (The Lord of the Rings' Denethor) will play Dr. Walter Bishop, the institutionalized scientist a young female FBI agent must collaborate with to get to the bottom of a rash of paranormal activity, while Lance Reddick (a star on The Wire and a recurring player on the upcoming season of Lost) has been cast as the special agent who heads the division of Homeland... read more
Highly Anticipated Cloverfield Hits Theaters | Today's Top Videos | 1/18/2008
After what seemed like a covert operation to keep all the secrets of Cloverfield under wraps, tonight’s the night we’ll finally get some answers. Like, what in the hell kind of monster would rip off the Statue of Liberty’s head and chuck it into Midtown? Not cool! Better start ordering those tickets in advance because we’re sensing a sold-out opening weekend. Your take: Think this movie is going to live up to the hype? read more
J.J. Abrams' Fringe Goes on Casting Binge | Today's News: Our Take | 1/17/2008
Kirk Acevedo (The Black Donnellys Oz) and Mark Valley (Boston Legal) have joined the cast of Fox's Fringe, a $10 million sci-fi pilot from Lost boss J.J. Abrams that concerns a female FBI agent who works with an institutionalized scientist to investigate unexplained phenomena. Both actors are playing FBI agents.A Warner Bros. rep tells TVGuide.com there is nothing to report yet regarding the casting of the two leads. read more
New on the Tube: Ben Stiller's Behaving Badly, and More | Today's News: Our Take | 11/27/2007
Ben Stiller's Red Hour Films has decided to make a series of Gods Behaving Badly, a popular British novel (being released on our side of the pond Dec. 10) about what happens when the deities of ancient Greece, now roomies in a modest London flat, stop being polite and start getting real.... West Wing Emmy winner Alex Graves will direct Fox's Fringe, the J.J. Abrams pilot about a cute FBI agent who, in another place and time, would've been Veronica Mars.... GSN has ordered 40 episodes of How... read more
New Trek Flick Beams Up House's Morrison | Ausiello Report | 11/12/2007
J.J. Abrams has snatched up another tube star for his forthcoming Star Trek reboot. Abrams confirms that House's Jennifer Morrison has joined the cast of his as-yet-untitled Trek pic. "She is indeed in the movie," he tells me, "and she is most excellent!"Last week, Morrison was spotted outside one of Trek's Hollywood soundstages, sparking rumors that she had quietly come aboard the ensemble, alongside Chris Pine, Simon Pegg, Karl Urban and Heroes' Zachary Quinto. Although Abrams isn't divulging... read more
Oteri Plans 2008 TV Return, Courtesy of J.J. Abrams | TV Guide News Report | 10/31/2007
Could this be off the shelf? Even though TV Guide had heard the J.J. Abrams/Cheri Oteri half-hour comedy was shelved a few weeks ago, Oteri tells TV Guide she’s back working with Abrams on the project. SNL alum Oteri spoke to TV Guide on Tuesday, Oct. 30, at the premiere of her indie film Park (which also stars Dirty Sexy Money’s William Baldwin, and Ricki Lake). Abrams, currently at work on the latest Star Trek feature film, is best known for Lost, What About Brian, Alias and... read more
New Star Trek "Pines" for Kirk as it Casts Scotty, Sulu and Baddie | Today's News: Our Take | 10/12/2007
Gloucester, England-born Simon Pegg (Hot Fuzz) and Harold & Kumar's John Cho are boarding J.J. Abrams' Star Trek feature in the roles of engineering wizard/Romulan-ale enthusiast Montgomery Scott and Lt. Hikaru Sulu, says the Reporter. They join other future Enterprisers Zachary Quinto (as Spock), Zoe Saldana (Uhura) and Anton Yelchin (Chekov), while Eric Bana has been tapped to play the villain. I know what you're wondering: But who... has... the com? According to the trades, Chris Pine is... read more
J.J. Abrams' Top-secret Sci-fi Show Lands at Fox | Today's News: Our Take | 10/5/2007
Following a heated bidding war, Fox backed up the Brinks truck and made a series commitment to Fringe, which was until now a super-hush-hush new project from J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. Fox reportedly will pony up some $10 million for a two-hour pilot — that's on par with Lost's own debut — as well as pay a sizable $2 mil-per-episode licensing fee to Abrams' Bad Robot.Oh yeah, the premise: Fringe concerns a young female FBI agent (my favorite kind) who in the name of... read more