Taglines: It arrives.
In the summer of 1979, a group of friends in a small Ohio town witness catastrophic train crash while making a super 8 movie and soon suspect that it was not an accident. Shortly after, unusual disappearances and inexplicable events begin to take place in town, and the local Deputy tries to uncover the truth – something more terrifying than any of them could have imagined.
At the heart of “Super 8,” are six kids in a 1970s Ohio steel town whose summer dreams of making their first Super 8 monster movie masterpiece are suddenly interrupted. After witnessing a horrific train accident, the mysterious events surrounding the crash reverberates through their friendships, their families and forever alters the way they view their lives.
And, if the heart of “Super 8” is the group of kids, the soul behind “Super 8” are two filmmakers who themselves cut their own teeth on 8mm movie-making when they were younger. J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg both discovered filmmaking in their childhoods, making Super 8 and 8mm format movies (respectively), which laid the groundwork for all of their big-screen adventures today.
As a director, Abrams is known for melding character, humor and suspense within his films “Mission: Impossible III” and “Star Trek.” The producer behind the monster-thriller “Cloverfield” is also responsible for such television series as “Felicity,” “Alias,” “Fringe,” and the groundbreaking ABC series “Lost.”
Spielberg, the filmmaker behind some of the most successful and memorable movies of all time including “E.T.,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” has been an inspiration to Abrams since he was a kid. It was their mutual love of Super 8 films (and a little bit of fate) that would bring these two filmmakers together again and again. Growing up, Abrams first discovered the joys of a Super 8 camera – a format introduced by Eastman Kodak in 1965 – at the age of 8, when he began shooting his home movies themed around the things that he loved as a boy: chases, battles and monsters.
A few years later, Abrams and close childhood friend Matt Reeves (director of “Cloverfield”) had entered films in a Super 8 film festival and were featured in a Los Angeles Times article entitled, “The Beardless Wonders.” Shortly thereafter, they were approached by Spielberg’s assistant (then Kathleen Kennedy) and asked if they’d be interested in repairing Spielberg’s old 8mm movies; ones he had filmed during his own childhood. When JJ was just 15 years old, he and Matt Reeves took a job cutting together Steven’s 8mm home movies.
What initially inspired them both would draw the two together again many years later. “We started talking about the kinds of films we love to see and also about the kinds of film we’d love to make together someday. We landed immediately on our mutual history of making 8mm films. We both thought it would be cool to make a movie about young people having an adventure making movies,” recalls Spielberg.
Abrams wanted to create “Super 8” in the tradition of the movies he fell in love with: quintessential tales set in a community where the daily struggles of work, love and family might seem ordinary until they are abruptly interrupted by extraordinary, frightening and fantastical events. “I wanted audiences to get all the action, humor, suspense and pyrotechnics of a summer popcorn movie, but there is also a real heart to “Super 8” and, for me, that is really the most important part,” Abrams explains. “Despite all the wild stuff that happens in the story, this is the first movie I’ve made that has felt so much a part of my life.”
In developing “Super 8,” Abrams loved the idea of fledgling kid filmmakers as characters, but was in search of a story to drive it. That’s when he decided to fuse the concept with another idea that had long been percolating in his imagination. “I had an idea about a train transferring contents from Area 51,” he says, referring to the top-secret military installation in remote Nevada rumored to store wreckage from unidentified aircraft and other unusual phenomena. “That was a premise without characters, and then I had these great characters who needed a premise. So I thought if they came together that could be a compelling movie.”
Spielberg agreed. “When J.J. came back to me and suggested taking the idea of kids making Super 8 movies and blending that with a larger, sci-fi event, where something appears in their film that sets off a mystery and crisis throughout the town, to me that was really intriguing,” he says. “I felt it was going to be both a movie about the 70s movie-making culture and it was also going to be about what all that led to.”
Fellow producer Bryan Burk had also met Abrams through his love of Super 8. “Super 8 filmmaking was always a part of my life,” Burk notes. “I first met J.J. because I heard about this kid who was making Super 8 films and had cut Spielberg’s 8mm home movies. It was a background we all shared. I think the fun of coming up with ideas and just going out and making the movies is still at the core of everything we’ve done.”
Burk loved the idea of melding an intimate, heartfelt story about small-town, adolescent friends with an epic, creative fantasy. The script for “Super 8” was also an amalgamation of Abrams’ greatest passions including his love of sci-fi invention, his penchant for humor-fueled adventures and his fascination with the crossroads where the everyday and the completely inexplicable meet.
As the full breadth of Abrams’ vision for “Super 8” began to gel, it did so around two abstract ideas that became central to the production. The first is what Abrams has long called “The Mystery Box,” the idea that people are most compelled by an unseen mystery, and that a movie should have all the potent unpredictability of an unopened box, out of which absolutely anything could emerge.
Abrams notes that in an age of instant information, it can be a 24-7 challenge to keep audiences literally in the dark until the movie begins, but that hasn’t stopped him from trying to give people the thrill of that experience. “I think if you can create something original and not spoil it for the audience beforehand, the experience is so much stronger,” he says.
The other idea he hoped to weave through “Super 8” was the free-wheeling, hand-made spirit of Super 8 moviemaking itself. “Not only did the making of this movie bring back memories, but it paralleled the way we used to make movies,” he says. “It’s all about the spirit of storytelling, of creating an illusion that feels real, trying to scare people, to make them laugh, to make them feel something. All that stuff is the same for us now as it was then.”
Spielberg was also exhilarated by all that Abrams brought to it. “J.J. really has an ability to bridge generations,” observes the filmmaker. “He brings a love for the way movies used to be, but then he combines that with a real skill for making the kinds of movies people love right now. He understands what kids are talking about and thinking about today, so he’s as relevant to the youngest generation as he is to mine. I think he’s simply one of the best motion picture storytellers around, bringing an extraordinary sense of camera, lighting, composition and narrative to everything he does.”
Spielberg adds, “With ‘Super 8,’ J.J. has made a movie that feels at once nostalgic and uniquely new. He beautifully blends a sci-fi story with the amazing dynamic of a group of kids, who behave in a way that is contemporary, but also universally captures the way kids always have been.”
Abrams was humbled by Spielberg’s hands-on involvement. “The time Steven spent working on this movie blew my mind because he’s got so much going on, how could he possibly find the time? Yet, he would sit for hours going over the script or in the editing room,” he recalls. “It was just surreal for me. It was really a privilege not only to work with him, but to work with him on a movie about a time in both of our lives that was of such seminal importance.”
The Kids of “Super 8″
For J.J. Abrams, the heart of “Super 8” was always in the characters. Even as the most bizarre and unexplained events begin to unravel their once-quiet Ohio town, these characters are moving through very real relationships and experiences of loss and love. He knew that finding just the right mix of actors was going to be essential, so Abrams and his team began with a massive search.
The mission was to uncover fresh-faced young actors who would be fun for the audience to discover, but also an ensemble that could pull off that enchanted yet volatile chemistry that true childhood friends and rivals always seem to have.
Adds Bryan Burk: “What is great about this group of kids is that they all have that rare ability to let go enough that it never feels like they’re performing. I think it’s also a real testament to J.J. because he not only found just the right kids, he knew how to work with them.”
The final set of teens chosen was remarkably diverse. Some were seasoned pros while others had never acted professionally before at all. They hailed from across the nation: Elle Fanning (Alice Dainard) was originally from Conyers, Georgia; Joel Courtney (Joe Lamb) is from Moscow, Idaho; Gabriel Basso (Martin) from St. Louis, Missouri; Riley Griffiths (Charles) from Cedar City, Utah; Ryan Lee (Cary) from Austin, Texas; and Zach Mills, (Preston) from Lakewood, Ohio.
For the role of Alice, the filmmakers cast one of Hollywood’s fastest rising young actors: Elle Fanning, whose recent films include the award-winners “Babel,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” and “Somewhere.” Fanning could not have been more excited to get the part.
“It was crazy,” recalls Elle. “It was a total surprise to hear back from J.J. himself. He said ‘Hey, Elle, this is J.J. Abrams, and it’s going to be so much fun working with you.’ I sort of burst inside, I wanted to scream, but of course I couldn’t because he was on the phone so I was like doing my little dance silently. Then, when he got off the phone, I just shouted. I was so excited!”
Abrams remembers being taken by surprise at Elle’s audition. “When Elle came in, my first thought is that she might be too young, because she was 12 and had to play 14,” he says, “but I soon realized she’s infinitely more sophisticated than I am! She has incredible poise, yet fit in perfectly with this goofy group of boys.”
Elle immediately fell in love with the complexity of Alice’s character. “She’s kind of a tough girl, a tomboy, and she’s had a hard life,” Elle explains. “Her mother is gone and her father is always drinking, so when the boys ask her to be part of their movie, she’s like ‘What the heck? I’ll do it.’ Then it turns into this whole incredible event for all of them.”
The opposite of Elle, Joel Courtney had never had any professional acting experience at all when he was offered “Super 8’s” lead role of Joe Lamb, a kid trying to come to grips with the sudden loss of his mother.
“I knew J.J. was taking a real chance on me and I didn’t want to let him down. I wanted to do a good job for him, myself and for everybody working on the film,” Joel explains.
Abrams adds, “I didn’t want the main character in ‘Super 8’ to be the director of the movies. I wanted him to be the kid who follows the director, who’s there because he’s lost his mother and is having a tough time with his father and is looking for his way.”
From the beginning, Joel understood why Joe devotes himself to making his friend’s Super 8 movie at a time in his life when nothing else is certain. “Joe’s mom has passed away and his dad, being the town deputy, is never really around,” Joel comments. “So, Joe finds his only comfort with his friends. His dad wants him to be a regular kid and play baseball, but Joe just wants to make movies. He’s in charge of all the makeup, sound and special effects and he loves that stuff.”
Most of all, Joel was kept intrigued by the mounting tension of the story. “I love the mystery of it and it is a total adrenaline rush,” he says.
Portraying Martin, the gullible kid who often finds himself the butt of his friends’ jokes while starring in their monster movie, is Gabriel Basso, who stars on Showtime’s acclaimed show “The Big C.” Abrams notes that Gabriel is the utter opposite of his character. “Gabriel is incredibly smart and I think you have to be to play dumb well,” the director notes.
As soon as Abrams explained the basic outline of the story to him, Gabriel was hooked. “I love that it’s a story about kids who witness something they shouldn’t have seen,” he says. “They’ve got their hands in the forbidden cookie jar.”
Another newcomer to film is Riley Griffiths who makes his feature debut in “Super 8” playing Charles, the driven, perfectionist visionary of the group and the writer/director of the movie they’re making. “I love my character because he’s so determined and serious about making movies,” says Riley. “Things like ‘production value’ are really, really important to him, but his friends don’t get it.” Riley recalls that J.J. Abrams posed a big question when he told him he got the role. “He asked me: ‘Are you ready for this?’ and I said ‘I am so ready,’” he laughs.
Notes Abrams: “Riley was amazing when he came in, but he had never been on a set before so he had a big challenge.”
Riley stepped up, becoming so obsessed with slipping into the role of a would-be director that he began shadowing Abrams around the set, picking up on the director’s style and mannerisms. “I just watched how J.J. directs and then I tried to transfer all of that onto Charles” he says. “J.J. also told me all about Super 8 cameras and how this was the same camera he had as a kid so that was really cool.”
Ryan Lee, who plays the group’s most mischievous member, Cary, and has already been seen in diverse film and television roles, was a huge fan of Abrams’ “Star Trek.” “I had never watched ‘Star Trek’ on TV before, because to me, that was my parents’ era, but the way J.J. did it was so cool,” he says. “When I found out I would be auditioning for J.J., my heart started pounding.”
The feeling was mutual for the filmmakers. “Ryan was spectacular in his audition,” says Burk. “He was hysterically funny and actually the first actor we wanted to cast.”
After winning the role, Ryan was especially excited to play Cary. “He’s the kid who’s always making trouble and having a really good time. He’s a lot of fun,” he says.
Rounding out the group of fledgling filmmakers is Preston, the confident know-it-all who is one of the stars of the kids’ production. Playing Preston is Zach Mills who has been widely seen in film and television, including roles in “Hollywoodland,” “Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium” and Clint Eastwood’s “Changeling”.
Zach got a kick out of Preston. “He’s smart to the point of being a little obnoxious,” he confesses. “He really knows his stuff and he loves giving out facts to people, which gets interesting when lots of very weird things start happening!”
He also had a blast with his co-stars. “The friendships in the movie are very real,” Zach notes. “We were always hanging out on the set and having fun together even when we weren’t filming.” “We’ve become really good friends, almost like family,” Joel explains. “It’s been so amazing to have kids our own age to talk to.”
Elle sums up: “As soon as we started rehearsing, we just clicked, and became best friends. We had so much fun together that just being together became another cool part of making the movie.”
The Adults of “Super 8″
As the kids in “Super 8” grapple with seeing something they should never have discovered, they are brought into conflict with parents, teachers and authorities of all kinds, each played by an adult cast that includes Kyle Chandler, Noah Emmerich and Ron Eldard.
Chandler, well known for his roles on television’s “Friday Night Lights” and “Early Edition,” plays Deputy Jackson Lamb, Joe’s father, who begins to investigate the unusual disappearances and other odd happenings that suddenly afflict the town. A hard-working law officer, but struggling widower, the deputy is drawn into a consuming mystery at a time when his emotions are most raw and his son most desperately needs him.
Abrams says the key to Chandler’s performance is a slightly broken-hearted quality that shines through his harsh exterior. “Kyle is an incredible actor,” says the director, “wildly likeable and a great Everyman. He plays Jackson with a strength and a toughness, yet lets you see that, despite not being the best dad, he really is a broken soul, and therefore sympathetic.”
“His wife has passed away and now he has to care for a son who he doesn’t understand all that well,” Chandler explains. “He wants to protect Joe as much as possible, but he also sees that Joe is growing up and he’s going to go on adventures with his friends, whether Jackson likes it or not.”
He was also fascinated by what Jackson Lamb witnesses all around him as the town is overtaken by fear and anxiety. “People in the town start doing what we all do when we can’t solve a mystery – they start pointing fingers at each other,” he notes. “A shadow starts to pervade this little Ohio town and then you have these young kids who are right in the thick of something huge, even as the police are trying to figure things out.”
Working with newcomer Joel Courtney as his son was a particularly special moment for Chandler. “I can only imagine what it would be like to come onto a large, intimidating, complicated set like this, having never worked on a movie before,” he muses. “Joel handled it so well, meeting every challenge.”
Noah Emmerich, whose film roles range from “The Truman Show” to “Little Children,” and the television hit “The Walking Dead,” takes the role of the hardened, mystery-laden Air Force colonel who comes to town on a mission so covert he can tell no one what he is really looking for.
Emmerich could not resist the chance to work with Abrams. “J.J. was the big draw for me,” he says. “It’s rare that you come across such a masterful storyteller. You know that whatever he does, you’re going to be in good hands. He has that ability to create a deep sense of mystery for audiences, to really make the viewers lean forward in their chairs and ignite their curiosity. J.J. and I were both magicians as kids, and I think J.J. has somehow brought that quality of being able to elicit wonder and intrigue to his movies.”
As for his secretive character, Emmerich simply states: “He’s a dark and scary guy and I’m sure I’ll be frightening kids who see me for the next decade!”
Providing a local foil for Jackson Lamb is Ron Eldard, the actor who began his career on the hit medical show “E.R.,” then headed into a film career with credits including “Sleepers,” “Black Hawk Down” and “Freedomland.”
As Alice’s angry, troubled father, Louis Dainard, Eldard describes him as “a guy who is really struggling. He’s struggling with his work at the steel mill, he’s struggling because his wife has left him and he’s struggling with a daughter who is coming of age. He doesn’t particularly want her out with a bunch of boys, but she wants to be part of these budding filmmakers.”
That brings Louis into conflict with Jackson Lamb just as their kids become closer as friends. “They’re two very competitive characters,” remarks Eldard. “Once Jackson and Lewis were really good friends, but stuff happens and now they’re on opposite sides of the tracks. Jackson is a law man and Louis is a renegade but, only as things get worse, they find that they’re going to have to help each other.”
Super 8
Directed by: J.J. Abrams
Starring: Elle Fanning, Kyle Chandler, Amanda Michalka, Noah Emmerich, Ron Eldard, Zach Mills, AJ Michalka, Britt Flatmo
Screenplay by: J.J. Abrams
Production Design by: Martin Whist
Cinematography by: Larry Fong
Film Editing by: Maryann Brandon, Mary Jo Markey
Costume Design by: Roberto Craciunica, Ha Nguyen
Set Decoration by: Fainche MacCarthy, Dave Kann
Art Direction by: David Scott
Music by: Michael Giacchino
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, language and some drug use.
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Release Date: June 10, 2011
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