J.J. Abrams Plotting a Secret Movie; Should Be ‘Rad’
Posted by Neil Miller (neil@filmschoolrejects.com) on November 5, 2009
If we never see the fine folks from Pajiba again, we now know why. They are reporting today on a film project so secretive, it threatens their very lives to even whisper its name. Fortunately for the rest of the world — those of us with inquiring minds — they spoke its name, 500 Rads. It is the latest project from J.J. Abrams and his production company, Bad Robot.
An inside source has said that Rads, which is currently in script stages, is yet another Cloverfield style production. Abrams is setting it up on the cheap — budgeting $25 million. He’s keeping it out of the way — with a low profile European shoot. And he’s not talking about it, at all (at least not yet). According to the source, Fringe and Lost writing staff member Jeff Pinker was originally working on the script, but has now returned to work on Fringe. That has left the door open for other members of the Bad Robot writing stable to come in and finish up.
Nothing beyond that is known about the project, other than the fact that it will be “in the vein of Cloverfield and 28 Days Later,” which could mean just about anything. Monsters, zombies, monsters and zombies, radiation or disease outbreak (hopefully with zombies). The term “rad” is short for “absorbed radiation dose,” and the measure of 500 Rads is the lowest lethal amount of radiation that can be inflicted upon a human body. So take that for what it’s worth.
Needless to say, we need only know now that J.J. Abrams and his secret team of mad scientists at Bad Robot are working on something new for us. And that, is always a good thing.
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