J.J. Abrams is ready to come out of hiding and launch into “The Great Beyond.”
The filmmaker, fresh off a shocking downsizing of his mini-studio Bad Robot, unveiled a first look at CinemaCon of the new action project he’s directing, starring Glen Powell and Jenna Ortega. Plot details were under wraps since the project was announced, but film fans have been watching closely — as this is the first feature Abrams has helmed since 2019’s “Star Wars: Episode IX -The Rise of Skywalker.”
“I’ve been very lucky to get to work on franchises and movies that are bigger than all of us, and that was great. But at a certain point, I really felt like I needed to get back to telling original stories, which is where I started. It’s the thing that I am most passionate about,” Abrams said on stage. “The seed of this idea came to me years ago, and it took a long time to write it, partly because of extensive world building. I didn’t want it to just be one thing, not just a thriller or a mystery or a love story or sci-fi. I wanted it to be a bit of all of those things, and I wanted it to be big and something that generations of different people can all go to the theater to see.”
The trailer kept plot details very secret, but it’s clear that Powell and Ortega’s characters travel to a mysterious alternate world. An H.G. Wells quote (“There is, though I do not know how there is or how it may be, another world out of sight and sound.”) kicks off the trailer, which shows all sorts of retro machines and computers booting up. The cast, including Emma Mackey and Samuel L. Jackson, explores this new shadowy reality, and the trailer ends on an ominous shot of someone turning a key.
“I wanted it to be thrilling and moving,” Abrams said. “It’s about a lot, but at the heart of the movie, it’s about reconnecting with that sense of wonder and possibility that we had when we were kids, which I think a lot of people over time get beaten out of them and lose. It’s about protecting that belief in yourself.”
Set for a wide release on Nov. 13, Abrams serves as writer and director. He’s also producing alongside Tommy Gormley. The supporting cast also includes Sophie Okonedo and Merritt Wever.
variety.com
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