J. J. Abrams's unrealized projects
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The following is a list of unproduced J. J. Abrams projects in roughly chronological order. During a career that has spanned over 30 years, J. J. Abrams has worked on projects which never progressed beyond the pre-production stage under his direction.
1980s
[edit]Who Framed Roger Rabbit sequel
[edit]1990s
[edit]The Finding
[edit]In 1995, a slate of films were reportedly in development for Sydney Pollack's Mirage Enterprises; one of which was an early script co-written by Abrams with Jesse Alexander titled The Finding, for MGM. The project was described as a medical thriller.[1]
Beyond Violet
[edit]In 1997, Variety reported a script written by Abrams based on X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes was being developed at Warner Bros. with the title of Beyond Violent.[2]
Speed Racer
[edit]2000s
[edit]Superman: Flyby
[edit]In 2002, Abrams wrote a script for a possible fifth Superman film entitled Superman: Flyby.[3] Brett Ratner and McG entered into talks to direct,[4] although Abrams tried to get the chance to direct his own script.[5] However, the project was finally cancelled in 2004, due to Superman Returns.
The Dark Tower
[edit]Hot for Teacher
[edit]In April 2008, it was reported that Abrams and Bad Robot Productions were producing Jay Dyer's script Hot for Teacher.[6]
Mystery on Fifth Avenue
[edit]In June 2008, it was reported that Abrams purchased the rights to a New York Times article Mystery on Fifth Avenue about the renovation of an 8.5 million dollar co-op, a division of property originally owned by E. F. Hutton & Co. and Marjorie Merriweather Post, for six figures and was developing a film titled Mystery on Fifth Avenue, with Paramount Pictures and Bad Robot Productions,[7] and comedy writers Maya Forbes and Wally Wolodarsky to write the adaptation. According to the article, a wealthy couple Steven B. Klinsky and Maureen Sherry purchased the apartment in 2003 and live there with their four children. Soon after purchasing the apartment, they hired young architectural designer Eric Clough, who devised an elaborately clever "scavenger hunt" built into the apartment that involved dozens of historical figures, a fictional book and a soundtrack, woven throughout the apartment in puzzles, riddles, secret panels, compartments, and hidden codes, without the couple's knowledge. The family didn't discover the embedded mystery until months after moving into the apartment.[8][9] After Abrams purchased the article, Clough left him an encrypted message in the wall tiles of a Christian Louboutin shoe store he designed in West Hollywood.[10]
Untitled Aline Brosh-McKenna/Simon Kinberg film
[edit]In October 2009, it was reported that Abrams and Bad Robot Productions were producing a film from writers Aline Brosh McKenna and Simon Kinberg.[11] Since then, there have been no further developments.
500 Rads
[edit]On November 4, 2009, it was reported that Abrams and Bad Robot Productions would produce 500 Rads, a.k.a. an Absorbed Radiation Dose, from a Jeff Pinkner script.[12] Since then, there have been no further developments.
Micronauts
[edit]On November 6, 2009, it was reported that Abrams and Bad Robot Productions would produce a film based on the Micronauts toy line.[13] On October 23, 2015, Tom Wheeler submitted a Micronauts draft to Paramount and Bad Robot.[14] This iteration of the project is unrelated to the Hasbro Cinematic Universe.[15]
Samurai Jack
[edit]On November 19, 2009, it was reported that Abrams and Bad Robot Productions were producing, along with Cartoon Network Movies, Warner Bros., Frederator Films, and Paramount Pictures, a film adaptation of Samurai Jack.[16] However, in June 2012, series creator Genndy Tartakovsky stated that the production of the film was scrapped after Abrams' departure from the project to direct Star Trek.[17] For this and other reasons, Tartakovsky decided to make a new season instead of a feature film.
Let the Great World Spin
[edit]In December 2009, it was reported that Abrams' Bad Robot Productions and Paramount Pictures were producing the film adaptation of Colum McCann's novel Let the Great World Spin.[18] Since then, there have been no further developments.
2010s
[edit]Boilerplate
[edit]In July 2010, Abrams was announced to be producing the Boilerplate film.[19]
7 Minutes to Heaven
[edit]In August 2010, Abrams was announced to be producing Jake Bender's 7 Minutes to Heaven film.[20]
Untitled action film
[edit]In January 2012, Abrams and Matt Reeves were set to produce Michael Gilio's action film with Brad Parker (director of the 2012 film Chernobyl Diaries) on board to direct for Paramount Pictures and Bad Robot.[21]
Untitled sci-fi thriller film
[edit]In May 2012, Abrams was set to produce the sci-fi thriller with Josh Campbell and Matt Stuecken for Paramount Pictures and Bad Robot.[22]
Wunderkind
[edit]In June 2012, Abrams was announced to be producing Patrick Aison's sci-fi action thriller film Wunderkind, for Paramount Pictures and Bad Robot.[23]
Collider
[edit]On July 23, 2012, Abrams was announced to be producing Mark Protosevich's sci-fi film Collider, with Edgar Wright directing for Paramount Pictures and Bad Robot.[24]
Earthquake
[edit]On July 27, 2012, Abrams was set to produce Dustin Lance Black's disaster film Earthquake, for Universal Pictures and Bad Robot.[25]
Electropolis TV series
[edit]In October 2012, Abrams, Bad Robot, Ken Olin and Warner Bros Television were announced to produce the family drama Electropolis, for The CW.[26]
Cycle of Lies: The Fall of Lance Armstrong
[edit]In January 2013, Paramount Pictures and Abrams and Bryan Burk of Bad Robot were set to produce a film based on Juliet Macur's book Cycle of Lies: The Fall of Lance Armstrong[27] with Bradley Cooper in talks to star as Armstrong,[28] and D. V. DeVincentis writing the script.[29] There have been no further developments since then, with the film likely hindered after The Program was released.
Portal and Half-Life
[edit]In February 2013, Abrams announced at the D.I.C.E. Summit that Bad Robot Productions had made a deal with Valve to produce a film based on either the video game Portal or Half-Life.[30] In 2021, Abrams announced that the Portal movie was still being worked on with a script currently being written, even expressing interest for J. K. Simmons to reprise his role as Cave Johnson from Portal 2. However, he also confirmed that he was no longer currently involved in a Half-Life adaptation.[31]
One Last Thing Before I Go
[edit]In April 2013, Paramount Pictures and Bad Robot partners Abrams and Bryan Burk were announced to be producing the film adaptation of Jonathan Tropper‘s book One Last Thing Before I Go, with Mike Nichols as director and Tropper writing the script.[32] There have been no further developments since Nichols’ death in 2014.
The Stops Along the Way TV series
[edit]In June 2013, Abrams was announced to be producing the series The Stops Along the Way from an abandoned Rod Serling script for Warner Bros Television.[33] There have been no developments since.
Untitled sci-fi film
[edit]In 2014, Abrams and Michael De Luca were announced to be producing Chris Alender's sci-fi film, with Alender directing and co-writing the script with Justin Doble, as a co-production between Columbia Pictures and Bad Robot.[34]
Untitled Thomas Edison biopic
[edit]In 2015, Abrams was set to produce a biopic about Thomas Edison through Bad Robot, with no word about who will write or direct film.[35]
Killers of the Flower Moon
[edit]In March 2016, Abrams was set to direct the film adaptation of David Grann's Killers of the Flower Moon.[36] In 2021, the book was adapted into a film directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, and Jesse Plemons.[37]
Dream Jumper
[edit]On April 1, 2016, Abrams was planning on producing the film adaptation of Greg Grunberg's graphic novel Dream Jumper for Paramount Pictures. It is unknown if the project will be live-action or animated and who will write the script.[38]
Kolma
[edit]On April 18, 2016, Abrams was announced to produce Marielle Heller's film Kolma, a remake of the Israeli film All I've Got, with Daisy Ridley in talks to star at Paramount.[39]
Beta
[edit]On June 23, 2016, Abrams was set to produce Ed Solomon's script Beta, which was said to be combine Solomon's comedy with Inception and The Matrix, for Paramount.[40]
The Flamingo Affair
[edit]On June 29, 2016, Abrams was planning on directing and producing the animated film The Flamingo Affair from writer Pamela Pettler for Paramount Animation.[41]
The Nix TV series
[edit]In September 2016, Abrams was planning on directing and producing the series The Nix from author Nathan Hill, with Meryl Streep starring and producing.[42]
Glare TV series
[edit]In December 2016, Abrams was announced to be producing the Javier Gullón sci-fi TV series Glare through Bad Robot for HBO.[43] There have been no developments since.
Untitled RuPaul biographical TV series
[edit]In March 2017, Abrams was producing a TV series based on RuPaul's childhood, with RuPaul co-producing and Gary Lennon writing the Hulu series.[44]
The Market TV series
[edit]In April 2017, Abrams and Jesse Eisenberg were set to produce the comedy The Market, with Eisenberg starring, writing and directing the series.[45]
Untitled Star Trek film
[edit]It was announced in December 2017 that Quentin Tarantino had pitched an idea to Paramount Pictures for a new Star Trek film.[46] A writers room, consisting of Mark L. Smith, Lindsey Beer, Megan Amram and Drew Pearce, was assembled to flesh out the concept. The plan would be for Tarantino to direct the film, with J. J. Abrams onboard to produce.[47] Smith later became the frontrunner to write the screenplay later that month.[48][49]
In May 2019, Tarantino confirmed that his Trek film was still in development, saying "It's a very big possibility. I haven't been dealing with those guys for a while cause I've been making my movie. But we've talked about a story and a script. The script has been written and when I emerge my head like Punxsutawney Phil, post-Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, we'll pick up talking about it again."[50] Tarantino discussed the project in June 2019, stating that Smith had turned in his script, and Tarantino would soon be adding in his notes. He asserted his intention for the film to be rated R.[51]
In December 2019, it was reported that Tarantino had left the project, looking to make a smaller budget film.[52][53] In January 2020, Tarantino stated the film "might" be made, but he would not direct it.[54]
Demimonde TV series
[edit]In February 2018, HBO ordered Abrams' sci-fi drama Demimonde to series.[55] On June 7, 2022, it was announced the project would no longer be moving forward.[56]
The Heavy
[edit]On May 3, 2018, Abrams was announced to be producing Julius Avery's The Heavy with Daniel Casey writing the script for Paramount.[57]
Piece of Mind
[edit]On May 4, 2018, Abrams was announced to be producing Paramount's adaptation of Michelle Adelman's Piece of Mind with Ryan Knighton writing the script and Daisy Ridley set to play Lucy.[58]
Aphoria
[edit]In June 2018, Abrams was set to produce the sci-fi film Aphoria, with Jared Moshe writing and directing the film.[59]
Reincarnation Type
[edit]In July 2018, Abrams was announced to be producing Robert Specland's thriller Reincarnation Type and collaborate with Bristol Automotive.[60]
A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea
[edit]In October 2018, Abrams and Steven Spielberg were set to co-produce the film adaptation of Melissa Fleming‘s A Hope More Powerful than the Sea about Doaa Al Zamel's escape from the Syrian Civil War, with Lena Dunham writing the script.[61]
Untitled thriller film
[edit]In November 2018, Abrams was announced to produce Ed Hemming's untitled thriller film pitch.[62]
They Both Die at the End TV series
[edit]In February 2019, Bad Robot was announced to be producing the adaptation of Adam Silvera's book They Both Die at the End with Chris Kelly creating the series alongside Abrams, for HBO.[63]
2020s
[edit]Overlook TV series
[edit]In 2020, Abrams and his production company Bad Robot were announced to be producing Overlook, a prequel to The Shining based on Stephen King's Before the Play, and explore the tales of the Overlook Hotel, for HBO Max.[64] However, in August 2021, it was announced that the show would not go forward at HBO Max.[65]
Offers
[edit]Father Daughter Time
[edit]On April 14, 2010, Abrams was offered to direct Matthew Aldrich's spec script Father Daughter Time, for Paramount Pictures,[66] however, in January 2017, Gavin O'Connor was officially confirmed to direct the movie.[67]
Wicked film
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Variety Staff (December 10, 1995). "POLLACK PACKS FULL BAG". Variety. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
- ^ Busch, Anita M. (April 18, 1997). "Third 'Man': Burton inks for D'Works". Variety. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
- ^ "Cashiers du Cinemart Issue 15". ImpossibleFunky. February 16, 2008. Archived from the original on February 16, 2008.
- ^ Stax (September 17, 2002). "Ratner Talks Superman". IGN.
- ^ McNary, Dave; Fleming, Michael (August 12, 2004). "Par girding up for 'War'". Variety.
- ^ Kit, Borys (April 24, 2008). "J.J. Abrams in for 'Teacher'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
- ^ Seigel, Tatiana (June 17, 2008). "Paramount, Abrams keep house". Variety. Retrieved June 17, 2008.
- ^ Reagan, Gillian. "J.J. Abrams to Produce NYT's Fifth Avenue Mystery". The New York Observer. Archived from the original on June 24, 2008. Retrieved June 18, 2008.
- ^ Green, Penelope (June 12, 2008). "Mystery on Fifth Avenue". The New York Times.
- ^ Schwartz, John (December 6, 2010). "Monumentally Mystifying: Power of Secrets Inspires Public Art". The New York Times.
- ^ Corbin, David (October 13, 2009). "Paramount Purchases New Project for J.J. Abrams Bad Robot". Collider. Retrieved May 7, 2009.
- ^ Rowles, Dustin (November 4, 2009). "Pajiba Exclusive: J.J. Abrams Secretely [sic] Working on 500 Rads". Pajiba.com. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
- ^ Schuker, Lauren A. E. (November 6, 2009). "The Cry Goes Out in Hollywood: 'Get Me Mr. Potato Head's Agent!'". WSJ.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (October 23, 2015). "Tom Wheeler Set To Script Live-Action 'Dora The Explorer' & 'Micronauts' At Paramount". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
- ^ McNary, Dave (November 20, 2015). "Paramount Moves Forward on Transformers, G.I. Joe, and Micronauts". Variety. Archived from the original on June 1, 2016.
- ^ Sean (November 19, 2009). "J.J. Abrams Producing Samurai Jack: The Movie". FilmJunk.com. Archived from the original on October 27, 2011. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
- ^ "A Preview of Sony Animation's Hotel Transylvania". ComingSoon. June 26, 2012.
- ^ Rich, Motoko (December 11, 2009). "J.J. Abrams Wants to 'Let the Great World Spin'". New York Times Blog. Retrieved May 7, 2009.
- ^ "J.J. Abrams to produce 'Boilerplate'". Variety. July 29, 2010. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- ^ "J.J. Abrams and LOST Director Jack Bender Spend 7 MINUTES IN HEAVEN". Collider. August 10, 2010. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- ^ Sneider, Jeff (January 10, 2012). "Paramount, Bad Robot developing action pic". Variety. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
- ^ Sneider, Jeff (May 23, 2012). "Paramount buys Campbell/Stuecken spec". Variety. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (June 11, 2012). "Paramount Acquires Spec 'Wunderkind' For Bad Robot". Deadline. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (July 23, 2012). "Edgar Wright To Direct Paramount's 'Collider,' Mark Protosevich To Write". Deadline. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (July 27, 2012). "Universal, JJ Abrams Set 'Milk' Scribe Dustin Lance Black For 'Earthquake'". Deadline. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
- ^ Marechal, AJ (October 11, 2012). "Bad Robot fires up 'Electropolis' at CW". Variety. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (January 18, 2013). "Paramount, JJ Abrams' Bad Robot Target Lance Armstrong Cheat Scandal For Pic". Deadline. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
- ^ The Deadline Team (January 27, 2013). "Bradley Cooper In Talks With J.J. Abrams To Play Lance Armstrong: Report". Deadline. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (December 12, 2013). "D.V. DeVincentis To Script Paramount's Lance Armstrong Film". Deadline. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
- ^ Graser, Marc (February 6, 2013). "J.J. Abrams will develop 'Half-Life,' 'Portal' games into films". Variety. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
- ^ Jorgensen, Tom (May 24, 2021). "Portal Movie Still Alive, in Development at Warner Bros., Says Producer JJ Abrams". IGN. Retrieved March 29, 2013.
- ^ Tatiana Siegel, Borys Kit (April 23, 2013). "Mike Nichols in Talks to Direct 'One Last Thing Before I Go'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- ^ Littleton, Cynthia (June 5, 2016). "J.J. Abrams to Develop Rod Serling Screenplay". Variety. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (December 9, 2014). "Sony Pictures Acquiring J.J. Abrams-Produced Secret Sci-Fi Film From First-Time Helmer Chris Alender". Deadline. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
- ^ Sneider, Jeff (February 15, 2015). "J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot Developing Thomas Edison Movie at Paramount (Exclusive)". The Wrap. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
- ^ Sneider, Jeff (March 10, 2016). "Leonardo DiCaprio, JJ Abrams Frontrunners for 'Killers of the Flower Moon' Book (Exclusive)". The Wrap. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
- ^ Masters, Kim (May 29, 2020). "Behind Scorsese's 'Killers' Apple Deal: $200M+ Budget, "Low-Risk" for Paramount". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
- ^ Kit, Borys (April 1, 2016). "J.J. Abrams to Produce Adaptation of Greg Grunberg's Graphic Novel, 'Dream Jumper' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
- ^ "Daisy Ridley Reteaming With J.J. Abrams For 'Kolma'". Deadline Hollywood. April 18, 2016. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- ^ Lyons, Josh (June 23, 2016). "J.J. Abrams and Bad Robot Will Take on "Beta" From "Now You See Me" Scribe Ed Solomon (Exclusive)". The Tracking Board. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
- ^ Lyons, Josh (June 29, 2016). "J.J. Abrams Spreads his Wings with Animated Comedy "The Flamingo Affair" at Paramount (Exclusive)". The Tracking Board. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
- ^ "Meryl Streep, J.J. Abrams Team for TV Adaptation of 'The Nix'". Variety. September 6, 2016. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (December 9, 2016). "HBO Developing Space Drama From J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot & Writer Javier Gullón". Deadline. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 20, 2017). "Bad Robot To Produce Period Dramedy Series Based On RuPaul's Life". Deadline. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (April 27, 2017). "Jesse Eisenberg To Star In, Write & Direct Comedy TV Series In Works At Bad Robot". Deadline. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- ^ Quentin Tarantino And JJ Abrams Team On Star Trek Pitch
- ^ Quentin Tarantino Hatches Star Trek Movie Idea; Paramount, JJ Abrams To Assemble Writers Room
- ^ Quentin Tarantino's Star Trek Will Be R-Rated: The Revenant's Mark L. Smith Frontrunner Scribe
- ^ Quentin Tarantino's Star Trek Finds Writer in The Revenant Scribe
- ^ Exclusive: Quentin Tarantino Tells Us How and Why He Created The Hateful Eight Miniseries for Netflix
- ^ Quentin Tarantino Confirms Star Trek Script Is Written And Waiting For His Notes & That It'll Definitely Be Rated R
- ^ Quentin Tarantino Is Probably Not Making a Star Trek Movie Anymore
- ^ Tarantino’s ‘Star Trek’ No Longer Happening?
- ^ Sharf, Zack (January 14, 2020). "Quentin Tarantino Hints at 'Star Trek' Exit: 'I Don't Think I'm Going to Direct It'". IndieWire. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
- ^ Snierson, Dan (February 1, 2018). "HBO orders J.J. Abrams sci-fi drama 'Demimonde' to series". EW.com. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
- ^ Hailu, Selome (June 8, 2022). "J.J. Abrams' 'Demimonde' Sci-Fi Drama Series Not Moving Forward at HBO". Variety. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
- ^ Kit, Borys (May 3, 2018). "J.J. Abrams, Paramount Plot Superhero Thriller From 'Overlord' Director (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony; N'Duka, Amanda (May 4, 2018). "Ryan Knighton Adapting 'Piece Of Mind' For Daisy Ridley At Paramount & Bad Robot". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- ^ Kit, Borys (June 4, 2018). "Paramount, Bad Robot Team for Sci-Fi Thriller 'Aporia' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (July 13, 2018). "Robert Specland To Pen 'Reincarnation Type' For Bad Robot & Bristol Automotive". Deadline. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- ^ N'Duka, Amanda (October 29, 2018). "Lena Dunham Set To Pen Syrian Refugee Survival Tale For Spielberg, Abrams & Paramount". Deadline. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas (November 8, 2018). "Bad Robot Options Thriller Pitch From Ed Hemming, Writer On 'The Crown'". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- ^ White, Peter (February 13, 2019). "J.J. Abrams & 'The Other Two's Chris Kelly Developing Half-Hour 'They Both Die At The End' At HBO". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
- ^ Goldberg, Lesley (April 16, 2020). "J.J. Abrams Sets 3 HBO Max Shows: Justice League Dark, 'The Shining' Spinoff, 'Duster'". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (August 4, 2021). "'The Shining' Offshoot Series 'Overlook' From Bad Robot Not Going Forward At HBO Max, Closing In On New Home". Deadline. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
- ^ Fleming Jr., Mike (April 16, 2020). "Warner Bros Buys Hot Spec, Matt Damon Circles As Star And Director". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
- ^ Fleming Jr., Mike (January 9, 2017). "Gavin O'Connor New Beneficiary Of Matt Damon's Busy Sked: Will Helm 'Father Daughter Time'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 1, 2024.