JJ Abrams told People Magazine on the Golden Globes red carpet that his relationship with reboots, sequels and franchises has run its course, and that he wants to tell original stories from now on, according to Screen Crush. Abrams was at the Globes on Sunday representing Westworld, for which he is executive-producer, the hugely popular sci-fi thriller nominated for three awards including Best Television Series – Drama. When asked what he plans to do next, he said he hopes his future lies outside the world of non-original content:
“You know, I feel incredibly lucky to have gotten involved in things that I loved when I was a kid. In fact, even Westworld, which we’re here for tonight, is one of them. But I don’t feel any desire to do that again. I feel like I’ve done enough of that that I’m more excited about working on things that are original ideas that perhaps one day someone else will have to reboot… You know, I do think that if you’re telling a story that is not moving anything forward, not introducing anything that’s relevant, that’s not creating a new mythology or an extension of it, then a complete remake of something feels like a mistake.”
Besides his singular departure from trend with Super 8 in 2011, Abrams has focussed his attention on sci-fi and thriller franchises including Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Trek (multiple) and a handful of Missions Impossible. He concedes that he is incredibly lucky to have been a part of the projects that have been part of pop culture for decades, but he’s looking forward to developing new stories that might even be revived by others one day.
It has to be said, Abrams has put himself in a great position to do so. If it hadn’t been for all the sci-fi spectacle that he has directed, produced and written in his career so far, he’d have no hope of getting original content near the cinema. But Abrams has dealt with the Hollywood machine admirably, producing popular movies and television, and earning reputation and acclaim to support his ambitious future.
Before we get to see what his future holds, however, we still have an Abrams-produced Star Wars: Episode VIII to look forward to on December 15th 2017. Then in 2018 we can expect an untitled Star Trek sequel and a summer release of Mission Impossible 6.
What sort of “mythology” do you expect to see JJ Abrams create? Let us know in the comments.
