Even before “The Force Awakens” was released, J.J. Abrams made it clear that he wasn’t going to be directly involved with the “Star Wars” franchise going forward. And having ceded the “Star Trek” series to director Justin Lin, we’ve been left wondering what Abrams’ next move would be after making the most successful movie in U.S. box office history and revitalizing cinema’s most beloved sci-fi franchise.
The answer? He’s teaming up with the most acclaimed actress in American cinema for a TV series based on the hottest book of the fall. According to Deadline, Abrams will direct at least a few episodes of, and produce, through his Bad Robot company, a limited series adaptation of Nathan Hill’s novel “The Nix,” which Meryl Streep will star in.
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The book, published a couple of weeks ago, is a generational saga about a woman who throws rocks at a Republican president candidate, causing a media firestorm, and leading her underachieving academic son to dig into her past, uncovering secrets that stretch back to the family’s Norwegian heritage.
It’s won some rave reviews and is already a best-seller, and we can see why Streep might be attracted to a project like this — she’s yet to jump on board the peak TV revolution, but isn’t necessarily a stranger to it, having starred in HBO’s “Angels In America” among others. As for Abrams, he’s a more familiar TV face, but hasn’t actually directed for the small screen since the pilot for “Undercovers” in 2010. It’s also going to be interesting to see him grapple with non-genre material for the first time since he broke out as a superstar filmmakers, something we’re sure is part of the appeal.
Any way around, this is instantly one of the hottest projects in town. Warner Bros TV have the rights, and we imagine networks and streaming services will be bidding through the nose for the rights to air it. More news on “The Nix” as it develops.
