At the helm of Starship Gold

Fans say there is cause for optimism about Star Wars being directed by J.J. Abrams. Picture: AFP Source: AFP

J.J. ABRAMS is fast earning a reputation as Hollywood's answer to Bob Jane.

Having successfully overseen the retread of two Star Trek movies, the creator of Lost and Alias is about to turn his attention to Star Wars: Episode VII.

Why would a filmmaker at the height of his professional career risk his reputation on a franchise that is already three films past its use-by date?

"It's an odd thing, and I can't really explain the feeling, but it's almost like having a divining rod," Abrams said when in Sydney for the Australian premiere of Star Trek Into Darkness.

"There's this feeling that, I can't tell you why, but this is where we should start digging. That there is something powerful to be dug.

"Of course, I may be entirely wrong. And if I am, I will be very used to that."

In fact, Abrams, whose credits include Mission Impossible 3 and Cloverfield, has an extraordinarily good strike rate.

Which is why producer Kathleen Kennedy worked so hard to persuade him that he was the right man to direct the latest instalment in the Star Wars saga.

Initially reluctant because he and his wife, Katie, had been planning to take six months off to go travelling with their three children, But Abrams ultimately decided he couldn't turn down the opportunity to put his mark on a franchise he has been a fan of since he was a child.

"Katie said, 'If this is something you want to do, you have to do this. You will always regret it if you don't.' "

The challenge of reinventing George Lucas' beloved sci-fi blockbuster is not entirely dissimilar to the one that greeted Abrams when he agreed to take the controls of the Starship Enterprise, initially as a producer.

At first, the decision was business-driven.

"I never cared about Star Trek but I said yes and I suspect part of that was the challenge. I had never been involved in any existing franchises and I thought it would be cool to try and find a way in, to make a Star Trek movie that I would like to watch.

"It lets me do emotional character work, it lets me do comedy, it lets me do real drama, incredible spectacle, wild action - all the things I have loved about movies are in this thing, so it just felt like a natural opportunity."

Abrams' critically acclaimed 2009 Star Trek reboot went on to take a whopping $385 million at the box office.

Four years later, the sequel sees James T. Kirk (Chris Pike) stripped of his captaincy because of his blatant disregard for Starfleet protocol.

And Benedict Cumberbatch's villain brings the universe to the brink of war with a well-placed bomb."It certainly is part of our lives. It's something that is horrible and unfortunate and heartbreaking. And very difficult to grapple with," Abrams says. "I'd argue it is also one of the reasons we go to the movies - to look at our lives, to ask questions about things we are trying to figure out, to find ways to make some sense of these things."

Star Trek Into Darkness opens on Thursday. See review page 138

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