J.J. Abrams may be one of Hollywood's current golden boys, credited with this summer's highly successful reboot of 'Star Trek,' but he'll always have television in his blood. He's an ace TV producer, embracing high concepts and turning them into highly addictive pop culture delights such as 'Alias,' 'Fringe' and, of course, 'Lost.'While Abrams is preparing the next 'Star Trek' and a fourth installment in the 'Mission: Impossible' franchise, he's also got one eye on the tube. The Hollywood Reporter reports his next TV endeavor will be 'Undercovers,' described as a cross between 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith' and 'The Bourne Identity.' Abrams will executive produce the series and is in talks to direct the pilot episode.
The last pilot episode Abrams directed was the one for 'Lost' back in 2004, a rather brilliant (and expensive!) piece of work that led to him scoring gigs in the director's chair for big-budget Hollywood extravaganzas such as 'Mission: Impossible III.' You can bet he'll bring his A-game to the pilot of 'Undercovers,' if he indeed takes the gig -- in fact, at this point, it's essential that Abrams direct it, now that it's been mentioned as a possibility. If someone else directs the pilot, they're in one hell of a big shadow, and audiences will forever wonder what could've been if Abrams had been calling the shots.
The question is, though -- how long will Abrams stay interested in the series as executive producer? Abrams has a reputation for having a short attention span -- many claim 'Lost' went off the rails because Abrams became distracted by 'Mission: Impossible III' and his billion other projects. The man is certainly a multi-tasker, but will there be enough love and attention to go around with 'Undercovers' competing with the next 'Star Trek,' and who knows what else?
What do you think? Is J.J. Abrams directing the pilot episode of 'Undercovers' indeed the key to its success? And will he be able to juggle the series with his many movie projects to keep it from jumping the shark?
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