Marina Antunes [Celluloid 07.30.10] news scifi fantasy adventure adaptation



J.J. Abrams is a busy, busy man.

While talks of a Star Trek follow-up continue to brew, he’s keeping himself pretty busy with a number of projects in development, including the upcoming Super 8 (trailer) which he is directing with the now seldom seen Steven Spielberg in the producer’s chair.


Abrams himself may not be chalking up the directing gigs at the rate of some other directors but he’s still busy on the production front with a couple of projects on the go. Most recently, Heat Vision reported that Bad Robot (Abrams’ production shingle) will start work on Boilerplate, a tale of a robot set in the Victorian Age based on Paul Guinan and Anina Bennett’s graphic novel/picture book titled “Boilerplate: History’s Mechanical Marvel.” The novel, which originally started as a concept eleven years ago, tells the story of the world’s first robot, who, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, fought alongside Teddy Roosevelt and Lawrence of Arabia, journeyed to the South Pole and was involved in the silent movie business before disappearing on the battlefields of World War I.

It’s quite curious that we’re seeing announcements for Bad Robot productions since, up to this point, Abrams and company have been tight lipped about upcoming projects. Alongside Boilerplate, there’s a second project which shows potential. Based on a NY Times article about a family whose home is designed, without their knowledge, as one giant puzzle. The project is reportedly being developed as a diamond heist film though I’m hoping that someone will come along and suggest something a little more interesting or at least a new twist on the heist film because it would be a real shame to squander away this genius idea in which the architect designed the home with built in cyphers, puzzles and mind bending clues, never letting the owners know what he'd done. Not sure if my wish will come true as the project has comedy writers Maya Forbes and Wally Wolodarsky (of The Rocker fame - or infamy) attached. Wonder what, if anything of interest, they have up their sleeves for this story.

More on these projects, particularly Boilerplate, as they develop.

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Cyberhal (12 years ago) Reply

Boilerplate sounds like it could be well good.

mels. (12 years ago) Reply

All I know is that if he does develop a movie based on that bad ass puzzle house, he signs up 42e to do a bad ass puzzle filled ARG to go along with it.

skridlow (12 years ago) Reply

Abrams is a "snake oil" saleman...Super 8 is, so far, following the footsteps of Cloverfield (a steamimg pile) with yet another "viral" campaign to suck in the adlebrained...for me it is a case of once burned, twice shy of ANYTHING with his tag on it...

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