
The networks will be unveiling their fall schedules next week at the upfronts, but a few high-profile NBC pilots have already been picked up to series. Briefly:
Hit the jump for more on each project.

Last month the developing NBC pilot Revolution from J.J. Abrams and his Bad Robot production banner landed one lead actor in the form of Breaking Bad villain Giancarlo Esposito, and now another actor has entered the mix as well. Deadline reports The Twilight Saga star Billy Burke has landed another lead role in the potential series as Miles, an amazingly resourceful man with dark and dangerous side. The pilot has already been in production and had even cast Burke in the supporting role of a charismatic Marine, but then producers decided they wanted Burke in a much more integral role with his former part currently being recast. For those just joining us, the series follows a group of people struggling to survive and reunite with loved ones in a world where all forms of energy have mysteriously ceased to exist.

I’m always surprised when I like anything Twilight-related. I’ve written at length on how I find the subtext of the movies repulsive even though I can understand how the text can be enjoyed as shallow fantasy. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 even managed to wrap me up in that fantasy for the first half of the movie. I’m not immune to big weddings and romantic honeymoons, and the first half is filled with happiness and humor. Sadly, the second half of Breaking Dawn transforms into the mopey and idiotic drama I endured for the past three movies, but at least this time the series reached some glorious so-bad-it’s-good moments.

Summit has released a new featurette for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1. The featurette focuses on the wedding between Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson), and as Pattinson so eloquently puts it, “it’s a relatively momentous moment.” I’m sure Twilight fans will fawn over the wedding scene, and I’m always a fan of seeing an 18-year-old marry a 500-year-old vampire.
Hit the jump to check out the featurette. The film also stars Taylor Lautner, Billy Burke, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Jackson Rathbone, Nikki Reed, Ashley Greene, and Kellan Lutz. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 opens November 18th.

There is an art to camp. It’s not enough to simply have the director wink to the audience and say “Yeah, we know this is terrible, but we’re having dumb fun so laugh god-dammit.“ Just because you’re making something trashy, doesn’t mean you have the license to give up quality filmmaking. Director Patrick Lussier understands the difference between trashy filmmaking and trashy fun and that’s the reason his film Drive Angry is such a delight. The script is unapologetically dumb, everything is cranked up to 11, and while everyone is clearly having a good time, no one is slacking off. That’s the art to Drive Angry and it’s why it will likely build a devoted cult following in the years to come.

The outrageous action-adventure flick Drive Angry arrives on DVD and Blu-ray in both 2D and 3D on May 31st, with bonus content the includes audio commentary with director Patrick Lussier and writer/actor Todd Farmer, deleted scenes, “Milton’s Mayhem,” through which viewers can track the trail of carnage throughout the film, and an “Access: Drive Angry” special feature (exclusive to the Blu-ray release).
During a recent exclusive phone interview with Collider, Patrick Lussier talked about what fans will get to see on the DVD/Blu-ray, why he enjoys doing filmmaker commentaries, filming such epic car chases and fight sequences on a tight budget, and why bad-ass characters appeal to him. He also talked about how he and Todd Farmer are currently developing their take on Clive Barker’s Hellraiser for a remake, and said that they also hope to be able to do Halloween 3. Check out what he had to say after the jump.

There’s a strangeness that creeps along the edges of Catherine Hardwicke’s Red Riding Hood. It’s a PG-13 teen soap opera that wants to sneak in some surprisingly R-rated content like cannibalism and torturing the mentally handicapped. But what’s surprising and creative in the film is always smothered beneath convention, simplistic design, and insulting themes. There are directors who could blend a classic fairy tale with a teen drama and a modern attitude, but Hardwicke is not one those directors. Red Riding Hood feels unbalanced and its stranger elements never feel organically blended into the larger narrative. The result is an off-putting affair that owes more to Twilight than it does to the Brothers Grimm.

Warner Bros. has sent over seven clips from director Catherine Hardwicke’s (Twilight, Thirteen) thriller Red Riding Hood. Amanda Seyfried (Letters to Juliet) stars as Valerie, a beautiful young woman torn between a brooding outsider (Shiloh Fernandez) and the wealthy man of her parents’ dreams (Max Irons). Unfortunately, one of them may be the wolf that terrorizes her village. (Such virility is a turn-on, but werewolves are notorious commitment-phobes.) Gary Oldman, Billy Burke, Virginia Madsen, and Julie Christie also star. Hit the jump for the full synopsis and clips:

I can’t watch the trailer for Red Riding Hood without laughing. It looks like a parody of a real movie with its overly sinister take on the Red Riding Hood fairy tale. I know the Brothers Grimm’s original tales were dark, but you’re not going to turn “My, what big eyes you have,” into a chilling piece of horror dialogue. While the story may turn out to be a problem, cinematographer Mandy Walker has done a solid job capturing the gothic tone that director Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight) wanted to convey.
Hit the jump to check out 43 images from the movie. Red Riding Hood stars Amanda Seyfried, Gary Oldman, Shiloh Fernandez, Billy Burke, Virginia Madsen, and Julie Christie. It opens March 11th.

With Patrick Lussier’s (My Bloody Valentine 3D) revenge thriller Drive Angry 3D getting released tomorrow, I was able to interview most of the cast at yesterday’s press junket. Since we’ve been covering the film since its inception, most of you know it’s about a felon (Nicolas Cage) who is chasing the people who killed his daughter (Billy Burke) and kidnapped her baby. The vendetta/rescue spins out of control and the chase gets bloodier by the mile, leaving bodies everywhere. Also in the film are Amber Heard, David Morse and William Fichtner.
Anyway, during my interview with Burke, we talked about his unique look in the film (long hair, black nail polish), filming in 3D, the action scenes, what did he do while in filming in Louisiana, and he also gave me small updates on Red Riding Hood and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn. Hit the jump to watch:

With director Patrick Lussier’s (My Bloody Valentine) 3D revenge flick Drive Angry 3D getting released February 25, Summit has released a very cool motion poster to help promote the flick. Starring Nicolas Cage, Amber Heard, William Fichtner, Billy Burke, and David Morse, Drive Angry 3D is about a tough as nails criminal (Cage) who breaks out of Hell on a quest for redemption. Fichtner plays a character simply named “The Accountant”, a mysterious demonic agent sent to retrieve Cage and return him to the fiery depths from which he came. I did a set visit last year and everything I learned while there tells me this is going to be an extremely fun ride that you’re going to want to take.
For a taste of what’s to come, watch this NSFW clip. Otherwise, hit the jump to check out the poster, or click here for all our previous coverage.

Warner Bros. has released a new trailer for Red Riding Hood, which opens similarly to the November teaser before it delving deeper into the plot. Amanda Seyfried (Letters to Juliet) stars as Valerie, a beautiful young woman torn between a brooding outsider (Shiloh Fernandez) and the wealthy man of her parents’ dreams (Max Irons). Unfortunately, one of them may be the wolf that terrorizes her village. (Such virility is a turn-on, but werewolves are notorious commitment-phobes.) Gary Oldman, Billy Burke, Virginia Madsen, and Julie Christie also star.
Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight) directed the gothic re-imagining of the familiar tale; Red Riding Hood is due in theaters March 11. Watch the trailer after the jump.

Today is officially “trailer day” as the recent teaser for Pixar’s Cars 2 and the trailer to Jason Statham’s actioner The Mechanic can attest. Next up is the official premier of the trailer to Catherine Hardwicke’s Red Riding Hood starring the lovely Amanda Seyfried in the titular role. The trailer is actually quite impressive from a visual standpoint, very reminiscent of Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow, what with its creepy Hammer-esque designs, and heavily contrasted colors. It goes without saying the film boasts a decidedly Twilight-ish vibe, complete with leading man Shiloh Fernandez doing his best Robert Pattinson impersonation (he even has the hair).
Red Riding Hood also stars Gary Oldman, Lukas Haas and Virginia Madsen, and is set for release March 11, 2011. Hit the jump to see the trailer, the first poster, and the official synopsis:

Summit Entertainment has just announced The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 will get released on November 16, 2012. While the studio had previously announced Breaking Dawn would be two movies, no release date had been set for part two. For fans of the Twilight franchise, a fall 2012 release date means you’ll be waiting a full year to see the conclusion of the Twilight franchise as The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 gets released on November 18, 2011.
While I’m sure some fans were hoping for a summer release for part two, this makes a lot more business sense. By releasing in the fall, the studio will have plenty of time to use the home video window to sell DVD’s and Blu-rays and they’ll also most likely use Comic-Con 2012 as another opportunity to promote the franchise.

Drive Angry is the latest 3D action-adventure from director Patrick Lussier and starring Nicolas Cage as Milton, a hardened felon who has broken out of hell for one last chance at redemption. Intent on stopping a vicious cult, led by Jonah King (Billy Burke), who murdered his daughter, he has three days to stop them before they sacrifice her baby beneath a full moon.
During a press conference held after their Hall H panel at Comic-Con, co-stars Nicolas Cage, Amber Heard (who plays sexy, young waitress Piper) and William Fichtner (who plays an enigmatic killer known only as “The Accountant,” sent by the Devil to retrieve Milton) talked about the appeal of this project and what it was like to adjust their performance to the 3D technology while they were filming. Check out what they had to say after the jump:
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