Rumor: J.J. Abrams To Join Forces With Bong Joon-Ho, The Director Of The Host And Mother

This is a team-up I could have only dreamed of, but even then, I don't know that I would've. Are J.J. Abrams (Star Trek) and Bong Joon-ho (The Host), two of the most intriguing filmmakers working today, going to be working together?

We heard a rumor that this is indeed the case. Learn more about this mystery project after the break.

Our source claims that Abrams visited Korea last year and had extensive meetings with Bong, and will soon be collaborating with him on an undisclosed film. Bong will direct, and Abrams will produce. Once Bong finishes work on his next film Snow Piercer (based on a French graphic novel), the film will most likely shoot in Hollywood, making it the first film he's made in the US.

File this as an unconfirmed rumor for now, but the possibilities this pairing suggests are almost too overwhelming for my geek mind to fathom. I've always felt that Bong's off-kilter approach—blending elements of morose drama and physical comedy—would be impossible to replicate in American cinema, but coupled with the more palatable, audience-friendly stylings of Abrams, this may just work.

If the film actually pans out, it'll be interesting to see how these two filmmakers' visions mesh together. Both Bong and Abrams are very visual directors, but the sort of imagery they use in their films couldn't be more different. Then again, it's possible that Abrams plans to take a back seat on this one, and simply allow Bong to do his thing. It's easy to see why Abrams would be attracted to Bong's work, as all of his films (Memories of Murder, Mother) bring a unique, weirdly entertaining spin to otherwise small, intimate stories. The Host in particular is right up Abram's ally, with a mysterious, monstrous creature rampaging a city, and a tight-knit group of people venturing through it to save someone close to them. (Sound familiar?) It also helps that Bong always has a very strong emotional core embedded in his films, something that Abram seems slightly less concerned with. Maybe this will be the movie to bring a touch more humanity to Abram's filmography.

And for those that haven't seen it yet, Bong Joon-ho's Mother hit DVD and Blu-ray a couple of weeks ago, and it's absolutely worth the watch. You can listen to our laudatory /Filmcast review of the film here.