Bad Robot vs. Mutant Enemy: J.J. Abrams and Joss Whedon's Comic-Con Smackdown

It's meeting of two great minds when creators of Lost, Alias, Fringe, Buffy, Angel, Firefly and Dollhouse pair up at panel

By Drusilla Moorhouse Jul 23, 2010 3:00 AMTags
J.J. Abrams, Joss WhedonAP Photo/Denis Poroy

What do you want first, the good news or the bad news?

J.J. Abrams and Joss Whedon brought so much good news to their Comic-Con panel today, let's just get the bad news out of the way: They are not working on a project together.

Bad robot!

But maybe they're protecting us: Truly, our heads might explode if those titans of storytelling—Lost, Alias, Fringe, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, and Dollhouse number among their TV creations—joined forces.

But merely basking in the presence of these great minds today was enough to thrill fans...

Perhaps you've heard that in addition to TV, J.J. and Joss both dabble in film? The big announcement at today's panel is that Joss is officially directing The Avengers. J.J.'s working on Super 8 with Steven Spielberg and the sequel to Star Trek—and his new TV show, Undercovers, premieres this fall on NBC.

Joss may not be familiar with J.J.'s TV work (Joss:: "What is Rambaldi?" J.J.: "It's from Alias, Joss, a show that aired on ABC for five seasons."), but Firefly's helmer loves J.J.'s Star Trek. "I have had actual moments of sheer f--king panic because I love Star Trek so much. I honestly watch it and go, "This is a gold standard…for any movie that has come out in the last couple of years. And it makes me throw up with fear."

J.J. threw out his own props—to the Lost show runners when asked about the controversial finale: "I personally believe that Damon and Carlton kicked incredible ass and wrote an amazingly emotional…finale," the show's creator enthused. As to whether the story followed his original vision, J.J. said, "You have to be fluid and flexible…you cannot anticipate—and could not—Michael Emerson coming aboard. And you realize, oh my god, that is critical to the story. You have to listen to the show and go where it tells you."

But Joss—definitely the curmudgeon of the pair—expressed disappointment with his latest TV ventures. "My experiences at Fox [with Firefly and Dollhouse] have not been successful," he lamented. "I definitely was trying to fit a square peg in a round hole." Still, Joss prefers the tube over the big screen: "Being able to tell a story in 15 episodes, 11 episodes of which they air out of order"—his dig at Fox's Firefly broadcasting—"is still more fulfilling than filmmaking."

Are you jonesin' for more Joss on TV? Will you be watching J.J.'s new series, Undercovers, this fall? Let us know in the comments!

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Daily 10 is at Comic-Con all week, make sure to watch at 7:30 p.m.