It now appears that the two mightiest sci-fi franchises in the world are in the hands of one man. I cannot help but be a little concerned.

Dominic Patten at Deadline is reporting that Disney has finally ended its search for their Star Wars: Episode VII director. They hath chosen J.J. Abrams. “It’s done deal with J.J.,” the source for the Deadline article said. It appears that Abrams was a particular favorite of current Lucasfilm CEO Kathleen Kennedy from the start. Abrams has previously denied any involvement in a new Star Wars movie and since he had been committed to Paramount’s Star Trek series, most were inclined to believe him.

Abrams’ frequent collaborator Damon Lindelof was once rumored to be penning Episode VII with Brad Bird directing, but that was proven to be false, as was early speculation that Bird and Lindelof’s mystery pet project 1952 was in fact a cover for the Star Wars project. With Abrams in the directing chair for Episode VII, he may yet bring some of his own creative crew on board, including Lindelof.

Super 8
Netflix | Amazon | Epix
DVD | Blu-ray
Directed by J.J. Abrams
Starring Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, Kyle Chandler, Riley Griffiths, Ryan Lee, Ron Eldard, Noah Emmerich, Glynn Turman
Paramount Pictures
Originally Released: June 9, 2011

After dealing with the tragic decision of viewing the should-have-been-an-abortion movie called Skyline, I really needed something to wash the remnants of shit out of my mouth. That film in the last streaming review was so terrible, I have been stuck in an almost catatonic state for the duration of week, rocking back and forth, weeping for my teddy bear and soiling my pants.

Cheers to the wonder that is J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg, for it was the epic science fiction movie Super 8, evoking a potent injection of nostalgia, which came to my rescue. From the opening sequence, I began feeling the haze of depression leave my tortured brain, in a manner that was akin to the pins-and-needles sensation of circulation returning to an appendage that was numbed.

We hear a lot of awful news regarding Hollywood and celebrities, but sometimes comes a truly great story to remind us that there is goodness still out there.

Christian Bale, for example, visited the survivors of the Aurora movie theater shooting and then later flew a sick little boy and his family to Disneyland so he could hang out with his favorite superhero, Batman. Now comes word that director J.J. Abrams has done something remarkable for a sick man.

Daniel, a 41-year-old Star Trek fanatic, is dying from cancer. A cancer that attacked while he was fighting a different cancer, leaving him with only a few weeks to live. As a Star Trek fan he was obviously very excited to see Abrams’ sequel, Star Trek Into Darkness.

Continue reading for more of Daniel’s story.

One of the names that’s always been high on fans’ wishlist of directors to take on Star Wars Episode VII was of course J.J. Abrams…despite the fact that he’s currently heavily involved in the geek rival Star Trek universe.

Now comes word from Abrams himself that he was in fact approached about possibly directing the next Star Wars movie.

Over the weekend, select IMAX 3D screenings of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (read FamousMonster’s review here) are being prefaced by an extended preview for Star Trek Into Darkness. I have seen the nine-minute preview and am prepared to offer my thoughts, but first a lengthy recap.

POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOLLOW!