J.J. Abrams' 'Stranger' Provokes Puzzlement

On Monday, J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot Productions released a teaser trailer for an unspecified project that has online theorists gleefully scratching their heads. The one-minute video, titled simply "Stranger," is dark and mysterious, and no one is sure what it's all about—which is, of course, just what Abrams wants.

The clip features a mysterious man stumbling through the surf at night, wearing a suit and with tattered ropes tied around his wrists. All the while, a somber voiceover says cryptic things about Lost identity and revelations. At the end of the clip, a creepy torchlit face with a stitched-closed mouth appears, along with text that promises "Soon."

The trailer is obviously a tease for one of Abrams' new projects, but it's not clear which one. It seems unlikely to be connected to "Star Wars: Episode VII," the next film Abrams will direct. It could be an early look at "Believe," an NBC series that Abrams will produce next year. It could have something to do with a new novel/online multimedia project that Abrams is working on with author Doug Dorst. It could be referring to Abrams' adaptation of a previously unproduced Rod Serling script called "The Stops Along the Way." Or it could be (but probably isn't) none of the above.

If nothing else, the clip has Abrams' fans talking, and there is no doubt that that was its intention.