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Never let it be said that J.J. Abrams doesn’t go out of his way for Star Trek fans. During the holidays the director learned through a series of communications over Reddit and Twitter about a dying man’s wish to see Star Trek Into Darkness, which doesn’t open until May 17th, and took the trouble to make it happen. Last week on Reddit, a user named Ideeeyut described how a friend Daniel, who has leukemia and other serious health issues, wanted to see the movie — and even made it to a theater hoping to see a special 9-minute IMAX preview only to find out the theater wasn’t showing the footage that screened in some but not all locations playing The Hobbit. Fearing that time was running short, Daniel’s friend took to Reddit seeking help to find a way for Daniel to see the movie, according to a chain of events reported on CNET. Trek and geek blogs picked up the Reddit item, and a Reddit user named Kiggsworthy came across the item on TrekMovie and tweeted it to Abrams and others working on the movie. Events accelerated to warp 10 and Abrams phoned Daniel to screen the full but unfinished movie. Via Ideeyut on Reddit, Daniel’s wife said “We saw it, and we enjoyed it immensely as a film and as a gesture.” She described Abrams’ act as a “heartfelt message of giving” that was especially touching.
J.J. Abrams Arranges ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ Screening For Dying Fan
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Class act right there, hopefully this film does well but this is really why we’re making movies here people, to connect with your audience on a much deeper level
Well said…. thanks to EVERYONE involved in making this guy’s dying wish come true.
Too bad more in Hollywood aren’t like that…
J.J. is one of the nicest guys in the business, always has been, long before this particular act of kindness, which was lovely. He’s also one of the most talented, Dr. McCoy needs to clone him!
When anyone saw the user name Ideeeyut did you not think of “Stimpy….you fat bloated ideeyut”
How thoughtful of him.
It’s easy to be cynical about something like this and just call it a publicity stunt – but, this is a cool thing.
I always wonder when folks in Hollywood cavalierly say something to the effect of, “When we get around to it, we’ll release such and such a version/edition in a couple of years.”
Hey, not everybody will be around then.
Just a thought…..
Good work, Mr. Abrams. I suspect he knows first hand what it’s like to see someone in a terminal condition, and all you want to do is make that person happy (if only for a limited time).
The big question here is: Would Abrams have done this if it wasn’t going to make the media? I’d say no. Who called the media and reported all this? I’ve worked in Hollywood to know that it was Abrams’ P.R. team. He’s the only one involved whose last name is even mentioned. It would’ve been a great gesture if Abrams had made this move out of the kindness of his own heart, but alas, it’s all for publicity.
I think that in most instances that would be a safe bet. But this time all of the information is coming not coming from studio or PR team, but the people on the receiving end of the kindness. If they hadn’t said what happened, I’m not sure we would have heard about it…at least not in the way we have.
Wow, you’ve worked in Hollywood? As in Tinseltown? So you can tell us exactly what happened? Please, enlighten us on every story that’s posted from this point forward.
Here’s what actually happened – the family posted this story on Reddit and were the ones making any and all of the announcements themselves. Bad Robot and Paramount declined to make any official announcements and allowed the family to treat it as publicly or privately as they wanted.
G,
All that matter is that Abrams did it and the man and his family are happy. It was a kind gesture regardless of the motive. But I am going to believe that Abrams did this out of the kindness of his heart and not for publicity. To be so cynical must really be stressful for you G. Just relax and believe that there is good in people. You’ll live a much more meaningful and happy life.
Dude,
I couldn’t agree more. I’m sure the poor guy that got to see the movie doesn’t care how much press Abrams gets out of this. He’s just happy he got to see the movie.
We can believe that Abrams did this just because he doesn’t get NEARLY enough publicity, and the Star Trek franchise needs all the help it can get….or we can believe that Abrams is a decent guy that wanted to make someone’s dying wish come true.
I choose to believe the latter. I could be wrong, but at least I’m happy with my delusions
Seems pretty clear from the story that Daniel’s wife spilled the beans on Reddit, but I’m sure you know better.
wow G – you must be the most cynical guy in hollywood. for a guy like abrams to screen his “unfinished” film to anyone not working on the film is already a miracle, let alone, for publicity. no way.
Actually, he would. A friend of mine who assisted JJ for years relayed the story to me five years ago that when JJ heard that a terminally ill woman’s dying wish was to learn how LOST would end, he and Damon Lindelof personally called her and spent an hour and a half telling her how the final seasons of the show would wrap up.
I’ve personally met J.J., I’ve seen witnessed him remain in an auditorium and sign every autograph and take every picture that was requested. He is indeed a genuinely kind and generous guy.
Wonderfully stated. I would also add, from a logic standpoint, that the movie is still five months away from release, and any publicity garnered for this little effort would be forgotten come May.
And ?
I mean, publicity stunt or not, the guy got his wish, he’ll died having seen the movie, he’ll die “happy”. I don’t care why, I don’t care if there’s an hidden agenda. This poor man got his dying wish, and in my book, it’s the only important thing here.
I don’t like Abrams as a screenwriter. However, even I can say that he done a good things. Even if it’s a publicity stunt, the fact his, a dying man might a little more in peace now, this dying man will leave the earth maybe with a smile in his face. That’s worth everything.
There’s this saying “don’t look a gift horse in the mouth”. And this time, I think it applied.
I agree with all of the responses to your comment. JJ is one of the nicest guys in the biz and even if his PR team put out this story, so what? It’s not like JJ asked them to do so. This movie is was going to make millions regardless of if he did this kind act or not, so kudos to him.
ps – I don’t like that you’re using the name I use on deadline…but if you’re going to do so please don’t be so cynical in your comments.
Dude. You are so right. In fact I’m willing to bet that JJ probably had his PR team seek out someone who was dying, so he could screen the movie for that person and get the resulting publicity And look like a hero! Because he needs more publicity! Yeah that’s what he did.
Either that or you’re just a bitter pissant Wanabee. Which do you think is more likely?
I tend to agree with a previous comment about this. Even though it seems like a nice gesture-it also seems like a publicity stunt. How exactly DID the media find out about this? This would’ve seemed less of a publicity stunt if we (the fans) had heard about it a few years down the line. There are many actors/actresses/directors who donate time/money/ help people and we never hear about it because with them it truly is a nice & noble gesture-which isn’t spread to the media by a public relations team.I’m sorry,but,to me-this is about p.r. & nothing else.
for anyone doubting the sincerity of this gesture, i’ll relate a personal experience. a friend and i did some adr work on “super 8″ (we’re voice actors) and abrams was there to personally direct the session, which is uncommon. he was incredibly nice and funnier than hell. and when i joked with my friend between takes about the very popular video game in which he just happens to be the star voice, abrams mentioned how much his kid loved that game and asked if he would record a quick phone message for him. my friend jokingly said “sure, if you’ll put me in the next ‘star trek.’” long story short – my friend (who also happens to be an on-camera actor as well) has a speaking part in “star trek into darkness”. no audition, no being put on tape. just a guy keeping his word. there is no way j.j. abrams, in my mind, is doing this just for publicity.
The media found out because the man’s wife and his friend posted it online for the whole world to read.
Sans last names? We don’t even know the real names of ANYONE involved in this except for JJ Abrams. And like the poster above said, why are we learning of this immediately after it happened?
P.R. stunt. And a disgusting one at that.
How exactly DID the media find out about this?
You must be joking. No? Well you see, there is this thing called the Internet…
If you must be cynical at least be credible.
It was a kind thing to do, period. Really at the end of the day I don’t care why or if it helped the movie make 20 gazillion dollars; a dying man got a bit of happiness and that is all that matters.
Really proud of JJ. Always knew he had incredible talent, now know he has an incredible heart!
Really wonderful gesture. It’s too bad that they didn’t go on a Fanboys style adventure first to “StarFleet Command” to try to steal the footage.
I don’t think he has a publicist. Stop being so negative.
When I was really sick a few years ago, the guys who made The People Vs. George Lucas offered to give me a private screening, because I was dying to see a movie about something and someone I felt strongly about. Luckily I survived of course, but I never will forget the gesture. If Abrams did this for publicity like some here claim, so be it. The important thing was that a dying man got a wish granted. Joe Pesci’s character in With Honors said it best, about how different the view was on the way in than it was on the way out.
Let it be known that when my brother was dying of cancer (through a series of crazy events) STEVE PINK was also generous enough to bring my brother a copy of his latest movie. He was by far the nicest person I have met in the film industry. He came to our house and even had lunch with us. We will always be thankful. Small gestures like that make a huge impact and difference in those who are suffering. So to you STEVE PINK and JJ Thank you!
God, people, seriously? So many ass-kissing, wanna-be’s in this place. We wuv you, JJ.
@MexyMartini-I couldn’t agree more. The level of sweet,sugary comments towards jj is off the f#*#*n’ charts! Personally,if it was anybody else, I wouldn’t be so cynical about this story. With jj involved this is a PR dream come true PLAIN & SIMPLE.
Here’s a question: when was the last time YOU did to help someone in need? I am hearing a lot of cynicism about Abrams’ motives, but the guy gave a dying man a chance to see a film that meant so much to him. I don’t care what his motives were: I am more interested in the fact that he did something which he clearly didn’t have to do for another person in need. That’s a cool thing in my eyes. Now, when was the last time YOU volunteered for Meals on Wheels? Or the Red Cross? Or the Salvos?
Well said…It doesnt matter if Abrams had ulterior motives. The end result is a dying man got a dying wish.
says the person whose username is “any pr is good pr”
seriously though, am i the only person on this website who knows what reddit is? it’s one of the most popular online community sites in the country. it has a pretty hefty overseas following. it’s the epicentre of all things internet/nerd/geek (real nerds and geeks, not the ‘omg-i-luv-scifi-but-i’ve-never-seen-an-episode-of-star-trek-or-tng’ kind) cool. all those memes and catchphrases you see/hear in pop culture? created on reddit years before you saw it being misused in a commercial or some dumb comedy like ‘big bang theory.’
if you post something of this magnitude on reddit, there is zero chance that it won’t go public in a matter of hours or days. i also guarantee at least half of bad robot spends their days trolling reddit, which would explain how this even came about to begin with.
so slow your roll, guys. just applaud jj and be on your way.
The cynicism above is astounding. J.J. and the studio did a wonderful thing. Earlier this year, I was involved with a similar situation. Before my teenage daughter’s best friend lost her battle with cancer, I arranged a private screening at Children’s Hospital for her to see a certain eagerly anticipated blockbuster* with her friends a week prior to its worldwide opening. The director, producer, head of the studio (and a few others involved in pulling it off) could not have been more responsive, understanding and generous. Publicity was the last thing on anyone’s mind – all anyone cared about was doing something special for a dying little girl.
*I decline to name the specific film because I want to respect the privacy of those people involved.
Ok y is it when some ppl do something nice for someone ppl automatically want to criticize them???? I mean Mr. Abrams did this for a fan of Star Trek, he did it cause it was a nice thing to do and u say it was for publicity…..I think it was awesome that he did this and I agre that there should be more ppl like him…he didn’t have to do it at all…so just leave ppl alone
this is what Star Trek is all about. Selflessness. the act of giving to others without thought for yourself. Trek was created with this hope for humanity in mind. JJ, even if you didn’t begin life as a Trekker, you are now, and we love you for this. Brought a tear to my eye. Live long and Prosper, and blesses be.