"When I went to the premiere with Damon, I was blown away by, most notably, the opening battle sequence and the volcano sequence," Abrams says. "I happen to think that Roger Guyett is a genius."
Initially, Abrams wasn't so sure he wanted to direct the action-packed film. Even though he was already an accomplished TV series creator and director with hit shows such as "Lost," "Alias" and "Felicity," Abrams' only real experience in the film industry was as a screenwriter of such films as Armageddon, Forever Young and Regarding Henry, as well as a producer for The Pallbearer and The Suburbans. However, after viewing the box set of the first season of "Alias," the Mission Impossible star Tom Cruise became determined to recruit Abrams for the directorial position.
Originally Cruise wanted to work alongside Abrams (along with Steven Spielberg) on War of the Worlds, but Abrams was in the middle of launching the "Lost" pilot on ABC and had to refuse. This time Cruise didn't take no for an answer. Given full reign to rewrite the screenplay from scratch Abrams focused more on Cruise's character Ethan Hunt and his life as a spy living in the normal world.
As with his work on "Lost," Abrams wanted the Mission Impossible III audience to care about Hunt and his life as much as they demand to see an action-packed show. Of course, being impressed by the special visual effects that ILM produced for Revenge of the Sith, Abrams also took the hands-on approach by learning how to do three of the special effects shots personally.
As Mission Impossible III hits theaters May 5, Abrams and Lindelof are excited for the next big thing -- the "Lost" season finale on May 24. Even though the duo couldn't reveal any juicy details about the upcoming finale, Abrams and Lindelof had a few thoughts on what it would be like if the "Lost" castaways accidentally bumped into a few of their favorite Star Wars characters.
"Wow...I think the worlds of both shows are so different, it'd be hard to cross-pollinate," Lindelof says. "I do think, however, that Locke and Yoda would probably have a lot to talk about."
"I would like to see Charlie hanging out with the Jawas," Abrams laughs. "I think that would be entertaining. I think it would be incredibly cool if the group came to a clearing in the jungle and Jabba the Hutt was sitting there. I would love to see that episode."
For the latest "Lost" info as well as podcasts featuring Lindelof and executive producer Carlton Cuse, visit the official ABC site here. Also be sure to check out the official site of the "Lost" creative team -- The Fuselage.
And to read all Abrams and ILM's work on the official Mission Impossible III site here.
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