J.J. Abrams to produce new TV series, 'Demimonde'

CAIRO – 2 February 2018: J.J. Abrams, director of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and the hit creator of “Lost” will be returning to TV with a new science-fiction drama on HBO called “Demimonde”.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, HBO dubs the series as an "epic and intimate sci-fi fantasy drama." The show is a family drama involving a scientist mother, her husband and their young daughter. When the mother is left in a coma following a traumatic car accident, her daughter goes through her scientific experiments and finds herself warped into another world, with her father having to go in and get her back. There they must face the evil, monstrous force ruling this strange new world.

A prolific writer-director-producer, Abrams’ last foray into television writing was with the sci-fi mystery “Fringe”, which ended back in 2013. Having worked as a producer for the series “Westworld” on HBO, the premium cable network saw it a good chance to bet on a show helmed by Abrams, though it didn't come easily; Apple was also interested in pursuing the rights for “Demimonde”, but HBO was the one who eventually emerged victorious in the bidding war.

Outside of “Fringe” and “Lost”, Abrams was also the creator of shows such as “Felicity” and “Alias”, and recently has worked as executive producer for various other series, ranging from Showtime's “Roadies”, CBS's “Person of Interest”, the Hulu miniseries “11.22.63” and the anthology “Castle Rock”, based on the works of horror master Stephen King. Abrams’ shift away from Television recently was due to his focus on the big screen, being responsible for helping reboot the Star Wars and Star Trek franchises, alongside creating the “Cloverfield” films. Abrams is also currently working on a new Star Trek movie to be directed by Quentin Tarantino.

“Demimonde” will be produced by Bad Robot Productions, Abrams' production company, in association with Warner Bros Television and HBO. With the final season of HBO's mega-hit “Game of Thrones” slated for a 2019 release, “Demimonde's” potentially epic scope may help to serve as a potential replacement, at least until more “Game of Throne” spinoffs get underway.