"
Pilot" is the two-part
television pilot of the
ABC television series
Lost, with part 1 premiering on September 22, 2004, and part 2 one week later on September 29. Both parts were directed by
J.J. Abrams, who co-wrote the script with
Damon Lindelof.
Jeffrey Lieber, who had been commissioned by ABC to write the first version of the script, earned a story credit. Filmed in
Oahu, Hawaii, it was the most expensive pilot episode up to that time, costing between $10 and $14 million, largely due to the expense of purchasing, shipping, and dressing a decommissioned
Lockheed 1011 to represent Flight 815's wreckage. Many changes were made during the casting process, including the selected actors, the characters' behaviors and fates.