“When their plane crashes on a seemingly deserted island, a group of survivors must work together to survive in a hostile environment.” : Here is a brief summary that looked simple. But from its first episode, Lost does not hide its inclination with difficult mysteries: an island with strange electromagnetic properties, a displaced polar bear, a black smoke monster, survivors closely linked to fate, confused space-time and immortality … So many secret serials have become legends. And its invention will require several brains. It all started with an idea: the facts of Lloyd Brown, the president of the ABC network.
“The story begins in 2001. I was watching a reality show called ‘Lost’ by Conan O’Brien. I remember thinking, ‘This is the title of the best TV series of all time.’ I’m in Hawaii, one evening the world is alone on TV, the next day there was dinner on the beach, I was sitting there with a drink in my hand and I was thinking, ‘How do I want to know how to do such a show?’ I had to think.I’m throwing an idea and not a word. (Empire Magazine, 2013).
Tom Sherman, then president of the production company Bad Robot, which he co-founded with screenwriter and director Jay Abrams and producer Brian Burke, still believes in the project and offers help. This is how screenwriter Jeffrey Lieber comes on stage: he is called upon to develop the first version of a screenplay based on Brown’s original idea. The instructions are clear: the show should actually look like. Liber begins with the following ideas: Create and save a new society at all costs. He says: There were two brothers in the center, Cain and Abel. After the plane crashes, the rich brother goes to jail from inside. The second, less common, is housed on the beach. At one point I was offered a shark attack, but was told, “No, this is not realistic!”. Throughout the year, Brown receives updates on what he calls “his favorite project” and finally a script about Christmas. And there is frustration. “I was on vacation and I had a lot of scripts to read. I came up with a script called “Nowhere”. And I say: Oh no. Do not tell me that it is so … ‘. I start reading the script and I get disgusted. That’s what everyone was afraid of. I am extremely disgusted. ”
Only one man can save them: the one whose name is always mentioned when a problem arises. On ABC, when we had the idea that we were having problems, the first name that always came to mind was “What will JJ do?” Says Tom Sherman (“The Genesis of Lost”, a special feature film from the Lost DVD set, Lost, Full Season 1).
However, Abrams is busy – among other projects, with Alias. However, the proposal has started, but the long-awaited screenwriter hesitates and does not have much time to devote to it. He still finishes thinking about it. “I started thinking about what would be an interesting story for me about the plane crash and its survival. Then the idea came to me: what would it be like if the island were not just an island. And if they found a hatch there. And for me, it’s a weird little nag, and it can be pretty cool. ” “Unfortunately, I have some ideas.” Says Tom Sherman.
Abrams sets his terms: the show must be more than a series about survivors, and the island itself must be a mysterious character. However, he is really very busy and asks for a writing partner: this is how Damon Lindelof, a real fan of Abrams, joins the project. “I started thinking. The secret about the people involved in the accident and the secret island on which they crashed “– says Lindelof. Two screenwriters, on the same wavelength, quickly form a hellish duo, and the rest you know: lost in all its exaggerated brilliance.
While Abrams and Lindelof spend a great deal of time thanks to the great creative freedom Lloyd Brown offers them, the latter eventually falls under the spell of his project, which then has nothing in common with the version Jeffrey Lieber hated so much. And what does Liber think about this almost complete overhaul? “I do not have any heavy feelings – what Damon and Jay did was amazing and I’m proud of my limited association with the project. That said, the last time I saw the pilot and the trees shaking, I laughed too. Because during the draft I was so forced into reality that I could not even get a shark attack. I should have used it to attack polar bears! ‘”
The project is finally on the right track, but the complications do not end here. Indeed, Lloyd Brown maintains a conflicted relationship with Michael Eisner and Robert Eiger, two senior members of ABC’s parent company, Disney. Disputes that seem to be hindering the project the way Brown wants it to: lost Meets resistance at every stage of its process. Thus, the script strongly criticizes Disney executives.
And the problem extends: what comes to Abrams and Lindelof’s insidious minds is not cheap, because whoever says the researched scenario and the ambitious project is saying the financial means. Ranging from its sophisticated sets to its cinematic visuals to its eerie soundtrack – made with real-time parts of the aircraft as percussion – Lost requires a certain budget. At a time when 45-minute pilots cost between $ 4 million and $ 5 million, Lost is playing the rebels: its pilot (albeit in two parts) is the most expensive in ABC history, costing about $ 13 million.
However, the determined Brown continues to shoot the pilot in Hawaii … until he is no longer part of ABC! Resignation or dismissal, gossip goes well. The most popular says he was thanked by the expensive pilot for the green light before the episodes aired. However, the sources are different. Others say he left the project “for survival” for fear that his relationship with Disney would hamper the show’s progress. Anyway, at the moment of his transfer, he is no longer there to enjoy the success of the TV series he had in mind. However, it is he who owns the channel for one of his greatest successes, the one who also proved two more major series, Desperate Housewives and Gray Anatomy …
But Brown still left his mark on the project … and especially his voice please! For those who watched the original version, remember the dried timbre that uttered the myth “Previously Lost” : That was it Lloyd Brown. At the request of Jay Abrams and his role in creating the show after his “departure” from ABC, Brown agrees to record the line on condition of anonymity.
The two men, accompanied by a voter, then meet in the conference hall at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Brown said the record has been altered somewhat to help disguise his timbre. The identity of the man behind the voice has been kept secret for several years, Brown said, Howard Stern, one of his close friends, discovered and then leaked the secret. (Vulture, 2010).
While he did not deserve all the laurels he deserved, Lloyd Brown’s risk paid off: a rain of praise fell, viewers were fascinated, awards were given, and Lost became one of the most famous, adored, and theoretical series of all time – and one of the best , of course. A small screen (expensive) masterpiece that has no precedent.
Top 5 Disasters on the Island:
Source: allocine
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
