THE mere mention of his name on a movie poster or in the credits of a TV show has the strength to give that show a head start at the box office and a boost in the ratings.
J.J. Abrams' track record as a writer, producer and director has made him one of the most sought-after talents in Hollywood.
On the big screen he is responsible for films that include Cloverfield, Mission Impossible III and the recent hit reboot of the Star Trek franchise. On the small screen, his impact has been just as significant, with shows such as Alias, Felicity and Lost.
But it was his most recent TV creation - Fringe - that took Abrams back to his childhood and drew from memories of his favourite TV shows. Fringe follows an FBI team which investigates cases that defy traditional science and logic and are connected to what a specialised section of the bureau believes to be a pattern.
Abrams says the motivation behind the show's creation was to produce a series with the DNA of hits such as The Twilight Zoneand The X-Files all mixed into one.
"The Twilight Zone was my favourite show growing up," Abrams says. "As a kid it spoke to me almost unnaturally. I loved the average person or situation being completely thrown on to its side and that's the thing (Twilight Zone creator) Rod Serling did so well.
"It was only when I got older that I appreciated the allegory that most episodes concerned themselves with.
"I loved the tone and the mood and the simplistic deconstructed sets which of course were the result of budget, schedule and time but it was still a wonderful, almost theatrical presentation and production."
Fringe also has quite an Australian connection with two of the main cast members exported from our shores.
Anna Torv, a NIDA graduate who appeared in McLeod's Daughters and The Secret Life Of Usbefore landing her big break in Fringe, stars as Agent Olivia Dunham.
Co-star John Noble plays Dr Walter Bishop, a brilliant and eccentric scientist who has just been released from an institution after 20 years to help investigate these mysterious crimes. Noble, who hails from South Australia, was previously a cast member on All Saints and Home And Away.
"Anna is wonderful and John Noble is terrific. I feel incredibly lucky to have found them," Abrams says.
Fringe is just about to enter its second season and Abrams is adamant he is satisfied with the way the show has matured.
"The fun of Fringe is that at the beginning of every episode you're going to get a shock and the first episode of season two is no exception," he says. "I would say the first season, like all first seasons, had a little bit of a fight to find its voice and get its rhythm. Last year we began to find that rhythm and find that voice and this year it's a sexier, funnier more shocking and also more scary season."
To say Abrams has a lot on his plate is something of an understatement. Apart from overseeing season two of Fringe, he is also working on the sixth and final season of Lost.
The director also confirms a second Star Trek film is also in the works.
"We've begun talking about the next step, the next instalment and we're just beginning to figure out what that is. We're working it out right now," he says.
"We're definitely writing a script, I'm definitely producing it and obviously we'll see what happens about the director."
J.J. Abrams' track record as a writer, producer and director has made him one of the most sought-after talents in Hollywood.
On the big screen he is responsible for films that include Cloverfield, Mission Impossible III and the recent hit reboot of the Star Trek franchise. On the small screen, his impact has been just as significant, with shows such as Alias, Felicity and Lost.
But it was his most recent TV creation - Fringe - that took Abrams back to his childhood and drew from memories of his favourite TV shows. Fringe follows an FBI team which investigates cases that defy traditional science and logic and are connected to what a specialised section of the bureau believes to be a pattern.
Abrams says the motivation behind the show's creation was to produce a series with the DNA of hits such as The Twilight Zoneand The X-Files all mixed into one.
"The Twilight Zone was my favourite show growing up," Abrams says. "As a kid it spoke to me almost unnaturally. I loved the average person or situation being completely thrown on to its side and that's the thing (Twilight Zone creator) Rod Serling did so well.
"It was only when I got older that I appreciated the allegory that most episodes concerned themselves with.
"I loved the tone and the mood and the simplistic deconstructed sets which of course were the result of budget, schedule and time but it was still a wonderful, almost theatrical presentation and production."
Fringe also has quite an Australian connection with two of the main cast members exported from our shores.
Anna Torv, a NIDA graduate who appeared in McLeod's Daughters and The Secret Life Of Usbefore landing her big break in Fringe, stars as Agent Olivia Dunham.
Co-star John Noble plays Dr Walter Bishop, a brilliant and eccentric scientist who has just been released from an institution after 20 years to help investigate these mysterious crimes. Noble, who hails from South Australia, was previously a cast member on All Saints and Home And Away.
"Anna is wonderful and John Noble is terrific. I feel incredibly lucky to have found them," Abrams says.
Fringe is just about to enter its second season and Abrams is adamant he is satisfied with the way the show has matured.
"The fun of Fringe is that at the beginning of every episode you're going to get a shock and the first episode of season two is no exception," he says. "I would say the first season, like all first seasons, had a little bit of a fight to find its voice and get its rhythm. Last year we began to find that rhythm and find that voice and this year it's a sexier, funnier more shocking and also more scary season."
To say Abrams has a lot on his plate is something of an understatement. Apart from overseeing season two of Fringe, he is also working on the sixth and final season of Lost.
The director also confirms a second Star Trek film is also in the works.
"We've begun talking about the next step, the next instalment and we're just beginning to figure out what that is. We're working it out right now," he says.
"We're definitely writing a script, I'm definitely producing it and obviously we'll see what happens about the director."
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