Super 8 Teaser Leaks Online, Official Site Launched

Well, that didn’t take long. Today (last night?) we had the midnight showings for Paramount and Marvel’s Iron Man 2, and unless you saw it in IMAX (i.e. me), then you saw the teaser trailer for the J.J. Abrams-produced Super 8 (also from Paramount). If you didn’t see it, you’re in luck, because the trailer has hit the web, and even in low quality and small size, it’s impressive. Take a look after the break.

(We’ll keep updating this as they get taken down)


As you can tell, the description we provided yesterday is accurate. Along with some titles to explain the context (a section of Area 51 was shut down, things are being shipped to Ohio), we see a train roaring down the tracks, getting into a huge accident, and something tries to pound its way out of one of the cars. Then we end on the Super 8mm film camera. My first thought was “wow, this looks good”, and second thought was “Abrams wants us to think that’s an alien, but I bet it’s not.”


So, what do we know about Mr. Abrams’ secret project now? Let’s make a list of the key facts.

– Obviously, it’s titled Super 8, a reference to old film cameras that both Abrams and Steven Spielberg used to use as kids.
– This is the sci-fi film we learned Abrams and Spielberg were planning to team up on, and is intended to have a style similar to that of Spielberg’s 70s and 80s films.
– The plot (maybe): Set in 1979, a group of kids are playing around with a Super 8 camera and capture something bad on film. This has not been confirmed, but this is what is floating around. How it ties in with the teaser, I’m not sure. I would guess they got on camera whatever that was trying to get out of the train. This may take place in the midwest, since the train in the teaser was headed from Area 51 (in Nevada) to Ohio.
– This is NOT a Cloverfield prequel, sequel, spin-off, or anything else like that.
– The teaser was shot separately from the film, so don’t expect to see any of that kind of stuff in the film.
– J.J. Abrams is also both writing and directing, despite reports he would only produce.
– The budget of the movie is around $45-$50 million, and was filmed in a traditional manner (not “found footage” style as previously believed).
– The release date: Possibly May 27, 2011, since Paramount just moved Mission Impossible 4 from that date, and we know it comes out next summer.

Paramount has also launched an official site for Super 8, Super8-movie.com, though there’s no information on there yet, just a creepy close-up of a Super 8 camera. Obviously, there are still a lot more questions than answers regarding this project, and we’ll keep you up to date on it all. Once we get an official version of the trailer, we’ll break it down and see if there’s anything hidden in the dirty cuts.


Sources: Slashfilm and Film School Rejects