“Fringe” writers rewriting J.J. Abrams’ ZANBATO
With SUPER 8 set to hit theaters later this year, and his beloved sci-fi TV series Fringe seemingly garnering more and more buzz each week, director J.J. Abrams is looking to tap into the writing team of his Fox hit for a new project.
Deadline is reporting that two major players in the writing staff of Fringe, Monica Owusu-Breen and Alison Schapker (who are both writers and executive producers of the series), have been tapped to rewrite Abrams’ hyper-secret project, lovingly known as ZANBATO.
Obviously, as with most Abrams projects, plot details are being held under strict lock and key, but what we do know is that it will somehow relate to Japanese history and will feature “swashbuckling robots with swords.” So basically, we know nothing about the project. The title itself refers to a long Japanese sword, so that does seem to tie in well.
Personally, not only am I a huge fan of Abrams as a filmmaker, I really dig where Fringe is at and going right now, so toss in this really insane premise, and I’m really excited to see what this creative team could do here. SUPER 8 looks to be a really wonderful film, inspired by early Spielberg, so who knows, maybe Abrams will be taking on a Japanese infused take on old swashbuckling classics like ROBIN HOOD. At this point, anything is possible when it comes to Abrams, and that is what makes him such an interesting filmmaker.
What do you think?
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