When he’s not overseeing five hundred other things, producer/ writer/director JJ Abrams toils away on the odd film here and there. And while he’s been busy setting up a variety of possibilities, it appears he’s settled on his next film.
According to Vulture, Abrams latest, secret (naturally!) project is something that hits close to home for him, since he’s a big fan of Steven Spielberg’s output. “JJ. wants to make sure Steven is properly paid homage to,” says a “This is really an interpretation of some of Spielberg’s earlier films, but done in a personal way.” He’s been reaching out to Spielberg to get him involved on some level.
So... A Jaws Encounter Of The Lost Ark? Well, not that exactly – though we’d kill to see that movie – but something that channels the feeling of Close Encounters and ET, with a regular family confronting fantastic events.
But it’ll be done on a strict budget - “It’s kind of the anti-Avatar,” explains another source, "Not that JJ doesn’t love that movie or special effects movies - he has a real facility for effects. But he really wants to make this, and the way to do that is to be fiscally responsible." He's got some time free, too, since the script for the next Star Trek outing is a ways from being finished, and that's assuming he chooses to direct the sequel at all.
Of course, the Abrams and Spielberg camps have denied everything, though this one stays strictly in the Twilight Zone between rumour, speculation and the place all the lost socks go for now.