J.J. Abrams must be pretty chuffed with himself. He’s just directed one of the best Star Wars movies for many years, and was a producer on this week’s big release 10 Cloverfield Lane. Well, the multi-talented filmmaker is not one to rest on his laurels, and has been discussing a few of his upcoming projects, one of which is the TV series of Westworld which is set to run on HBO. While the show is mostly in the can, there’s no air date for it yet, but Abrams seems to be very positive about the upcoming adaptation of Michael Crichton’s 1970s novel, and the 1973 movie.
Here’s what Abrams, who executive produces, had to say about it to Fortune.
“At the heart of Westworld is this story of consciousness and oppression and discovery, it’s one of the projects I feel most grateful and lucky to be a part of. What [the directorial team has] done is so stunning and cool and they’re not rushing it because of business maters and the network is giving them the time. That is never a bad move.”
Abrams also touched on his Star Wars experience, and about stepping away for the sequel which is now shooting in the U.K. and Croatia.
“It was a wonderful way to visit a place that meant so much to me and obviously so many. I knew that if it worked, it was the perfect time to step down – and if it didn’t, no one would want me to do it anyway.”
“I’m very happy to be where I am, Rian Johnson is brilliant and needs no help from me,” Abrams added. “As executive producer, I’ve been collaborating with them, but they are obviously doing all of the heavy lifting and it’s very exciting to see what’s going on.”
Star Wars Episode VIII is set for a December 15th, 2017 release. We’ll keep you posted on Westworld.
