One of the more secretive films of 2011 is J.J. Abrams’ Super 8. It’s a film that sort of popped out of nowhere, and is set to become Abrams’ directorial follow-up to Star Trek. What we know about the film so far is that it’s a sci-fi flick about a creature that arrives in a small town and how that town handles the events that follow. It’s supposed to be a throwback to the old Amblin Entertainment movies like Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T. (the film is set in 1979) and Steven Spielberg is even a producer on it. So, yeah, expect a bunch of floppy-haired riding bikes and hiding aliens in their closets.
Though we were under the assumption that Abrams wanted to hire all unknowns to play the kids, Vulture is now reporting that Elle Fanning and Kyle Chandler have signed on to play roles. Fanning is a funny choice considering her older sister Dakota starred in Steven Spielberg’s alien flick War of the Worlds, but if they’re looking for that same sort of wide-eyed amazement found in, say, Drew Barrymore’s character in E.T., then the younger Fanning sister is a perfect choice.
Meanwhile, Chandler also has starred in his fair share of alien-related flicks, having played a role in the recent Day the Earth Stood Still remake. We could see him taking on the part of a concerned parent – ya know, someone to stand there while the kids cry, “Oh c’mon dad, it’s still light out – can’t we play outside a little while longer?”
Abrams has managed to keep most of this film a secret so far, but with filming beginning this week in West Virginia, some images of the set are already beginning to leak out (via AICN). Check out two of them below.
Are you excited to see J.J. Abrams Super 8, or are you a little tired of alien flicks by now?
