shiv Wrote:
Yail Bloor Wrote:
andyfest Wrote:
I seem to remember an interview with JJ Abrams where he basically said he didn't come up with the story but that he took what someone else had done and twisted it a bit to create LOST. It might have been Frost he got the idea from, I don't remember.
It's actually Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof that came up with the whole
Lost thing, not Abrams, right?
Despite not ever watching a minute of the show, I enjoyed Bill Simmons podcast/interview with Cuse. Dude did
Nash Motherfucking Bridges for chrissakes.
lindelof, abrams and jeffrey leiber.
Yeah, I looked some shit up to jog my memory...
Quote:
Abrams' involvement in the creation of Lost was revealed in full detail in the special feature The Genesis of Lost on the season 1 DVD box set: In 2003, ABC group chairman Lloyd Braun had pitched an idea to for a concept he described as Cast Away: The Series. Jeffrey Lieber was hired to develop a working concept out of the pitch. Lieber eventually ended up writing a pilot, which he was asked to rewrite until he was fired by Braun.[1]
Braun then turned to J.J. Abrams to overhaul the concept. Abrams decided to take the concept into more of a science-fiction/fantasy direction, adding a "mystery" element and making the island a "character" unto itself. However, since Abrams was busy with producing Alias and a new show named The Catch, Damon Lindelof was added to the project. Together, Abrams and Lindelof fleshed out the initial setting of the show. Abrams is credited for co-creating Lost and co-writing the two-part pilot episode, "Pilot, Part 1" and "Pilot, Part 2", together with Damon Lindelof and Jeffrey Lieber, directing the two-part pilot episode, and as an executive producer of the show. He also had the idea for the opening theme and the title card. [2]
Early in Season 1, Abrams was busy with producing and directing Mission: Impossible III. When Damon Lindelof was considering quitting Lost due to the sudden burden, Carlton Cuse talked him out of leaving and joined the show's staff as an executive producer.[3] From this point on, Abrams stopped being directly involved with the show.[4] Abrams briefly considered returning to the show and getting "more involved" with Season 3. Even though he intended directing an episode and "writing some"[5], he ultimately only ended up co-writing the Season 3 premiere, "A Tale of Two Cities", together with Damon Lindelof. (The Lost: Missing Pieces mobisode "The Envelope", which was officially released over a year later, also has an Abrams/Lindelof writing credit, but is actually a deleted scene from "A Tale of Two Cities").
In an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in early May 2008, Damon Lindelof denied rumors of not having heard from Abrams in years, and confirmed still being in contact with him. At the 2009 Hawaii International Film Festival, Lindelof stated that Abrams watches Lost as a fan, seeing the episodes for the first time as they air, and has "expressed an interest and curiosity in how the show is going to end."[6] Abrams is still credited as an executive producer of the show as of Season 5. Abrams will not be involved with Season 6, as he thinks that Damon and Carlton themselves should finish what they have been doing with the show. (The Lostpedia Interview:Carlton Cuse & Damon Lindelof) He also rejected the idea of directing the series finale, since he thinks Jack Bender has earned himself that right.[7]