Abrams made his name in television, first with cult spy thriller Alias and then as one of the masterminds for the ultimately disappointing but previously engaging, inventive and bonkers mystery sci-fi drama Lost. From there he made the leap to film obviously with the likes of Mission: Impossible 3 and slightly ill-judge Spielberg homage Super 8. All of that seemed like grooming for his really big breakthrough picture, though, which was helming the long-awaited Star Trek cinematic reboot. One of the criticisms of his updated take on the material (especially with Star Trek Into Darkness) is that the more snappy dialogue, action-packed stories and romance had more in common with another big sci-fi property... Funny you should mention that, since it was probably those two Trek films that landed Abrams the job of actually directing a new Star Wars. The Force Awakens is apparently taking up a lot of his time, as JJ has gracefully bowed out of directing the third Trek, whilst staying on to produce at least.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/