JJ Abrams - A Study in Genius

J.J. Abrams is one of the most successful director-writer-producers working in Hollywood, and now that he is being offered the chance to visit a galaxy far, far away to direct the long-awaited Star Wars sequel, his reputation is set to shoot ever higher.

Much like his hero Steven Spielberg, such has been Abrams’ success that he has himself become something of a brand, especially since his popular revitalisation of Star Trek as producer of the 2009 blockbuster, as well as its 2013 sequel, Star Trek Into Darkness. However, in the early nineties Abrams began his career writing relatively average movie scripts, such as Regarding Henry and Forever Young, before moving into the world of TV with the college-based drama Felicity.

It wasn’t until the spy series Alias that his career truly launched. Since the early 2000s, Abrams has dominated genre-TV with the success of cult shows such as Lost and Fringe. At the same time, he found time for the big screen, directing Mission: Impossible III and his personal homage to Spielberg, Super 8 as well as producing the innovative monster movie Cloverfield. Then, not content with distinction in these two fields, 2013 saw the release of his first novel S. with Doug Dorst.

While Abrams sceptics note that not everything he has been involved with has worked – after a number of his TV shows have been cancelled and some of his films have received mixed reviews – there’s no question that Abrams is one of Hollywood’s most powerful people. Set to dominate the world of SF for years to come, this is the first biography of the cult legend.