J.J. Abrams likes sci-fi movies, and other details about his Spielberg collaboration, Super 8

As you've probably heard, everyone heading out to see Iron Man 2 this weekend—“clean and efficient,” raves Scott Tobias—will also get a first look at J.J. Abrams’ secret-but-also-not collaboration with Steven Spielberg, Super 8, courtesy of a special sneak trailer. Abrams confirmed a few details about the film to Entertainment Weekly today, saying that he’s directing it this fall under a budget of $45 million, plans to complete it for release next summer before immediately moving on to Star Trek 2’s summer 2012 release date, and that it will serve as “an homage to the sci-fi films Abrams loved as a teenager.” That’s evident in the brief synopsis of what you can expect to see in the preview, which Deadline describes thusly:

“A pickup truck veers onto a train track, heading directly for a locomotive. The legend appears: ‘In 1979, the US Air Force closed a section of Area 51. All the materials were to be transported to a secure facility in Ohio.’ The truck hits the train, and both fly off the tracks in an explosion. Focus on one train car that was spared, and a heavy pounding is heard from inside.”

Is it space kittens? We bet it’s space kittens.