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Today's LAT reports that New New Paramount™ chief Brad Grey, still twitching from the acquisitive rush of the studio's DreamWorks buy, is trying to add Lost producer/MI:III (hey, that's really fun to type!) director/current Hollywood It-boy JJ Abrams to his hoard:

Abrams has been based for seven years on the Burbank lot of ABC's parent company, Walt Disney Co. But for the last several months, he has been working for Paramount, where he is now editing the studio's $175-million "Mission Impossible: 3."


The movie, which stars Tom Cruise and marks Abrams' feature directorial debut, has given Grey an opening. According to two sources close to the discussions, the studio chief is tempting the writer-producer-director with an all-encompassing deal to make movies, television shows and possibly even video games and take part in Internet ventures for Paramount.

Grey has had several conversations with Abrams and his representatives about relocating his production company, Bad Robot, to the studio's Melrose lot, according to sources who, like several interviewed for this story, declined to be quoted because discussions were continuing.

These sources stressed that the parties did not expect to begin contractual negotiations until early next year. Grey declined to comment, and Abrams did not return calls.

There's no point in overthinking (Is he trying to buy a Cruise wrangler? Does he just want to know what the fuck those mysterious numbers mean?) a former manager's attempt to scoop up red-hot talent, but having this deal hanging in the air throughout the industry's end-of-year slowdown should make the whispers in Grey's head (Brad! Pssst! You haven't done anything splashy in, like, forever! Go buy Paramount a new lot on the moon! ) quiet enough to get through the holidays without him going crazy.