J.J. Abrams could probably pitch a show about the secret lives of washing machines, and people would turn up for it. His TV and film successes — as a producer, writer, director — over the last 20 years are extraordinary. (I’d make a list, but it’s easier to just point to his IMDb page.) Comparisons to Spielberg and Lucas are a bit premature, but he’s certainly playing in the same creative sandboxes as those two luminaries.
I don’t know if it’s fair to call Abrams a workaholic, but this guy’s always juggling multiple projects. You may have heard about his new writing and directing gig on Star Wars: Episode IX, but you may not have heard about his newest project with HBO. But that’s why I’m here… to share news about stuff.
Related – Star Wars: J.J. Abrams Only Recently Pitched Episode IX
Today’s news stuff involves a bidding brawl between HBO and Apple, a mysterious new sci-fi series, and the next shot across the bow in the never-ending streaming wars. Exciting, right? HBO won the fight, according to Variety, securing the rights to Abrams’ concept, which is tentatively called: Demimonde. Hmmm, that makes me think of Stranger Things… that’s probably not what they’re after. (Or is it?)
Details are slim, but Variety describes the series as an “epic and intimate sci-fi fantasy drama,” whatever that means, “that deals with a world’s battle against a monstrous, oppressive force.” So, perhaps something akin to Avatar meets Game of Thrones, which probably sounds really good to HBO, as it struggles to compete with upcoming streaming series like Castle Rock, Lord of the Rings, Millarworld, and all the other must-see stuff coming out in the (somewhat) near future.
Abrams is expected to write and executive produce, in collaboration with Ben Stephenson, who is head of television for Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions. Being cynical, this means Abrams will probably write the pilot and then disappear into Star Wars, Castle Rock, Westworld, and Tarantino’s Star Trek (yeah, he’s tied to all of these projects in one capacity or another).
No dates were announced for Demimonde, which is probably just a pitch document and maybe a pilot script at this time. When we hear more, you’ll know more. Until then.
What do think about the new J.J. Abrams sci-fi fantasy drama thingy at HBO? Let us know in the comments down below!
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