Not content with co-writing, producing and directing the most anticipated science-fiction film in years – that would be Star Wars: The Force Awakens if you’ve been living wi-fi free on Dagobah for the last few years – J.J. Abrams remains committed to other projects and, in particular, helping to launch and guide the careers of other filmmakers.He has Chris Alender attached to a mysterious new sci-fi film for Sony.
This being Abrams, there is naturally an ironclad veil of secrecy over the whole thing. All we know is that it's a lower-budgeted Cloverfield-level film that has aliens in it. It was cooked up at his production company, Bad Robot and originally found a home at Paramount, with Fringe/Almost Human writer Justin Doble cranking out a few drafts. But when the studio didn’t put it into production quickly enough, Abrams persuaded it to let him shop it elsewhere. Cue a bidding war won by Sony’s Michael De Luca.
Alender, meanwhile, a veteran of directing short films and marketing pieces, got his chance to direct by crafting an elaborate pitch for the film that included a digital look book, a sizzle reel and even a five-minute, action-packed teaser scene. It’s clear Abrams sees something in him and wants to help boost his film career, much as he helped Matt Reeves kick into high gear with Cloverfield. And if we get films as solid as** Let Me In** and Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes from Alender, it’ll all be worth it. Sony, meanwhile, will have to make sure their current hack attack doesn’t see the details of the new film leaked all over the web, lest Abrams decide to move it elsewhere.