He might not have been all that closely involved in Lost after getting it going, but JJ Abrams was clearly playing attention to the sterling work being done by the show’s primary director Jack Bender. Because he’s now developing a thriller called 7 Minutes in Heaven based on Bender’s idea.
Given that this is an Abrams project, you can’t go in expecting to know all that much about it. Right now, all that has leaked about the plot (and even that is suspect, since no one knows if Abrams’ Bad Robot company has leaked a false synopsis to throw us all off the scent) is that it focuses on two teenagers who slip into a closet to snog as part of the titular party game favourite and emerge to find their friends all dead. Cue a dramatic Michael Giacchino musical sting!
Okay, JJ's appreciation for the man isn't new – he’s been working with Bender since the days of Felicity, and the Lost director has recently signed a film deal with Paramount, which will mean he’ll likely make Heaven his next project.
Abrams, meanwhile, has the usual bucket load of projects on the go, but is focused for now on Super 8, with the Star Trek sequel the most likely follow-up.