J.J. Abrams Lost and Eric Kripkes Supernatural were once competitors on Thursday night prime time. Now the geek gurus behind the popular series are joining forces for a new show, Revolution. Written by Kripke, the Revolution pilot is being produced by Abrams company, Bad Robot, and likely will begin shooting in early spring with Kripke and Abrams serving as executive producers, along with Bryan Burk. Perhaps not surprisingly, the secretive Abrams is staying tight-lipped about the concept of Revolution (all we know is its an
epic adventure thriller), but he opened up about working with the creator of Supernatural when Hero Complexs Emily Rome caught up with him backstage at the
Hamilton Behind the Camera Awards.
E.R.: What made you interested in collaborating with Kripke?
J.J.A.: Ive been a fan of Supernatural. I like him a lot. Hes a really good guy, and he came to us with an idea that was undeniably good. It was such a great premise for a series that it was just that feeling of the misery that youd feel if you had a chance to be part of that and didnt take advantage of it. Im really looking forward to that show. Hes so obviously the real deal, and were just really lucky and honored that he wanted to collaborate with us on it.
E.R.: Shows like Supernatural and Lost have very devoted fans. What do you think about the potential to bring those two groups together with this show?
J.J.A.: I think [Revolution] needs to be as good as the premise promises, and if we do that, Im confident that we will find an audience. I dont think that you can ever rely on an audience that happened to like Lost or happened to like Supernatural. I would be thrilled if those audiences found this show too, but right now instead of thinking about who the audience is, were just trying to figure out the best possible way to produce the pilot, make it as good as it can be. A happy byproduct of just thinking about how to tell the story the best way possible is that you get a shot at an audience, and Im crossing my fingers that well have a substantial one.
E.R.: What about Kripkes writing captivated you?
J.J.A.: What I love about his writing is its alive, its visual. He writes things that become images in your mind as youre reading it, but he also is deeply concerned about character, back story, the emotional lives of the people hes writing. Its something I really appreciate. Again, I look forward to working with him in any capacity. Being a producer on his show is something Im thrilled to do. And offer any suggestions. Though he certainly doesnt need my suggestions to make a great show.
