30 Authentic Facts About J. J. Abrams You Might Have Missed Before

J. J. Abrams, one of the most famous directors in Hollywood, is well-known for his high-tech, action-packed, entertaining plots for movies and TV series. He is famous for going out of his way to add lens flares in his shots, often having people standing off camera pointing lights at it. While there have been some criticisms related to his works on major franchises like “Mission Impossible” and “Star Trek,” he has always made it clear that he has given what he feels best for the plot. Among the industry, he is known to be very secretive about the plotlines of his projects. Here are some really interesting facts about the director that will blow your mind:

"Star Trek Beyond Japan Premiere Red Carpet: J. J. Abrams" by Dick Thomas Johnson is licensed under CC BY 2.0

1.  He directed, produced and co-wrote the screenplay for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” which grossed over $2 billion at the box office, making Abrams the first director of a $2 billion movie since James Cameron.
2.  Despite the strong box office performance, the film was considered to be too similar to the original 1977 movie, by many including “Star Wars” creator George Lucas.
3.  He responded by stating that it was important for him to introduce brand new character using the relationships that embrace the history. That is to tell a story, which is new – “to go backwards to go forwards.”
4.  In April 2020, it was announced that Abrams would be developing three new shows for “HBO Max: Justice League Dark,” “Overlook,” and “Duster.”
5.  It was announced that Abrams and Bad Robot Productions will produce several movies and TV series based on members of the DC Comics superhero team Justice League Dark, in early 2021.
6.  Jeffrey Jacob Abrams was born on June 27, 1966 to Jewish parents – Gerald W. Abrams and Carol Ann Abrams. He was raised in New York City and Los Angeles. He has a sister Tracy Rosen, who is a screenwriter.
7.  His father is a television producer who has been credited to a large number of TV movies in 1970s, while his mother is an executive producer, author and academic.
8.  He attended Palisades High School, with plans to attend an art school, instead of a traditional college. But, following his father’s advice, he enrolled at Sarah Lawrence College.
9.  His father has simply said that “it’s important to learn what to make movies about, than how to make movies,” and had insisted on Abrams attending college.
10.  At the age of 16, he got his very first job in the entertainment business and wrote the music for Don Dohler’s 1982 movie “Nightbeast.”

"J. J. Abrams" by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

11.  He, along with Jill Mazursky, wrote a feature film treatment during his senior year at college. The treatment which was purchased by Touchstone Pictures, became the basis for “Taking Care of Business,” his first produced movie.
12.  He also co-wrote the script for the comedy “Gone Fishin’,” with Mazursky, which starred Joe Pesci and Danny Glover.
13.  He was part of the "Propellerheads," a group of Sarah Lawrence alums, in the year 1994, who were involved in experimenting with computer animation technology.
14.  American film Producer Jeffrey Katzenberg, then contacted the “Propellerheads” and contracted them to develop the computer animation for the movie “Shrek.”
15.  In the early 1997, he worked on the screenplay for the movie “Armageddon” with producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Michael Bay.
16.  He made his first foray into TV in the year 1998, with the series “Felicity,” which ran for four seasons on The WB Network, in which he served as the co-creator and executive producer. He also composed the opening theme music of the series.
17.  In the year 2001, he, along with Bryan Burk, founded the production company Bad Robot, in association with Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures. He created and executive-produced ABC's “Alias.”
18.  Abrams directed and wrote the two-part pilot for “Lost” and remained active producer for the first half of the season. He also composed the opening theme music for “Lost.”
19.  He made his feature directorial debut with Tom Cruise staring “Mission: Impossible III,” in the year 2006. The same year, he co-wrote the teleplay for Lost's third-season premiere "A Tale of Two Cities."
20.  In the year 2009, he directed the science fiction film “Star Trek,” which he produced with Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof.

"J. J. Abrams" by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

21.  It was reported that he has purchased the rights to a New York Times article “Mystery on Fifth Avenue,” in the year 2008. It was about the renovation of an 8.5 million dollar co-op, a division of property originally owned by E. F. Hutton & Co. and Marjorie Merriweather Post.
22.  It was quoted that he had made the deal for six figures and was developing a film titled “Mystery on Fifth Avenue,” with Paramount Pictures and Bad Robot Productions.
23.  After Abrams purchased the article, architectural designer Eric Clough left him an encrypted message in the wall tiles of a Christian Louboutin shoe store he designed in West Hollywood.
24.  In September 2019, Abrams and his Bad Robot Productions company signed a $250 million five-year deal with WarnerMedia, including HBO and Warner Bros. Pictures.
25.  He wrote a script for a possible fifth “Superman” movie entitled “Superman: Flyby” in July 2002. McG and Brett Ratner were in talks to direct the movie, despite Abrams trying for a chance to direct it himself.
26.  However, in the year 2004, the project was finally cancelled, and instead the 2006 movie “Superman Returns” directed by Bryan Singer was released.
27.  He is married to Katie McGrath, a public relations executive. They currently reside in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, California.
28.  The couple has three children together – Gracie Abrams, August Abrams and Henry Abrams. His daughter Gracie Abrams is a pop singer-songwriter.
29.  In the year 2019, Abrams made his debut as a writer for Marvel Comics, co-authoring the company's title “Spider-Man” from September of that year with his son Henry.
30.  Abrams serves on the Creative Council of Represent.Us, a nonpartisan anti-corruption organization and the Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF) Board of Governors.
31.  J. J. Abrams Net Worth: $300 Million