CBS has released the first full trailer for the limited series adaptation of the Stephen King novel Under the Dome.  For those unfamiliar, the supernatural thriller pits local folks against each other when they discover that their vacation town in Maine has been cut off from the rest of the world by a mysterious force field.  Comic book/TV writer Brian K. Vaughan (Lost) is a writer on the project and the pilot was directed by Girl with the Dragon Tattoo helmer Niels Oplev Arden, so the behind-the-scenes talent bodes well for the show.  This trailer does a swell job of appealing to genre fans, as we get a look at the cast of characters that will inhabit the town under the dome along with some intense action thrown in for good measure.  This all feels very Lost-like, so hopefully that’s a good thing.

Hit the jump to watch the full trailer.  The series stars Dean Norris, Mike Vogel, Jeff Fahey, Rachelle Lefevre, Britt Robertson, and Keith Harris.  Under the Dome premieres on CBS Monday, June 24th.

The first footage from the adaptation of Stephen King’s novel Under the Dome has been released.  As probably the most anticipated new show coming out this summer, the first look includes scenes from the episodes as well as some behind-the-scenes interviews with King, the creative team, and several of the actors.  Not too much has been revealed about the adaptation, but from what could be gathered during their WonderCon  panel and this first look, it looks like this could very well be a riveting, suspenseful, and imaginative interpretation of the novel.

King himself has been very involved, but also vocal about his support for the show to deviate from the novel and explore other avenues with the characters and the story.  With Brian K. Vaughan (Lost) at the helm of the show and a talented cast that includes Rachelle Lefevre, Mike Vogel, Dean Norris, Britt Robertson, and Keith Harris, I’m expecting a solid and gripping thirteen episodes.  The series will premiere sometime in June.  Hit the jump for the first look.

One of the best television shows in history will sadly come to an end this summer as Breaking Bad wraps up its final season on AMC.  The network has released a new featurette for the last batch of 8 episodes that takes fans behind-the-scenes of the show, and it’s a total tease.  The video doesn’t reveal anything at all about the final run of episodes (which is a good thing), but we do see the castmembers talking quite cryptically about what’s to come.  The fifth season was split up into two batches of eight episodes, so I assume this upcoming run plays like the final half of one season rather than an entire new season.

Though we don’t know much plot-wise about the final episodes, we do know that Bryan Cranston directs the first episode back, Looper director Rian Johnson thankfully returns to helm another installment, and creator/showrunner Vince Gilligan wrote and directs the series finale.  Hit the jump to watch the featurette.  Breaking Bad is expected to return sometime in July, so hold on to your butts, folks. 

We’ve got a couple of TV casting stories of note to share this afternoon.  Fresh off yesterday’s news that Rupert Grint will lead the CBS comedy pilot Super Clyde comes word that another Harry Potter alum is heading to The Eye.  THR reports that Jason Isaacs has been tapped to star in the CBS drama pilot Surgeon General.  The actor will play the titular surgeon general of the U.S., a widower with two teen girls who is much more interested in the nation’s health than the political aspects of his job.  Samuel Baum (Lie to Me) will write and executive produce.

Isaacs is no stranger to network television as he starred in last year’s critically acclaimed NBC series Awake.  Sadly, the show failed to become a ratings hit and was subsequently cancelled by the network.  Isaacs is a wildly charismatic actor and Surgeon General sounds like a swell outlet for his talent, so hopefully the pilot is a success and CBS orders the show to series.  Hit the jump for casting news concerning CBS’ adaptation of the Stephen King novel Under the Dome.

A rough trailer for Frozen Ground has leaked online.  The crime thriller stars Nicolas Cage as an Alaskan detective who sets out to end the murderous rampage of Robert Hansen (John Cusack), a serial killer who has gone unnoticed for 13 years after one of his victims (Vanessa Hudgens) escapes.  It looks like another low-budget Cage thriller, and in this one he’ll get to have a glower-off with Cusack while Hudgens tries to make everyone forget that she was in the High School Musical movies.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  The film also stars Dean Norris and 50 Cent.   Frozen Ground is currently set to hit theaters on November 30th.

There is no show I look forward to more each week than Breaking Bad.  And it’s been a long week since the last episode.  I am so pumped for the premiere on Sunday, that I really had no business being at this panel filled with cryptic teases.  What’s going on in Germany?   What that about gray matter?  And most importantly, what is the context of Jesse’s line “Magnets, bitch!”

Creator Vince Gilligan, Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Dean Norris, Anna Gunn, Jonathan Banks, R.J. Mitte, and Betsy Brandt were on hand to address these questions without ever actually answering any of them.  Hit the jump for the bullet point recap.

AMC keeps dropping pieces of Breaking Bad‘s new season like parts of a burned toy bear soaked in pool water (posters, photos, a teaser trailer, a full-length trailer and a fantastic fan recap.  The latest is a short clip that takes place just after the episode’s cold open, with Walt (Bryan Cranston) and his family reacting to the events that ended last season.  It’s been described as the “calm before the storm,” and a reminder that most Breaking Bad seasons start off slowly, giving you plenty of time to order that defibrillator you’ve been meaning to get to ensure your survival watching this show.  Hit the jump for the video. (Spoiler notes: Don’t watch or go any further if you’re not caught up with the show. If you are caught up, the clip does not reveal any spoilers specific to the new season).

The official trailer for the final season of AMC’s Breaking Bad has landed.  If I had one complaint about the end of season four, it would be that it didn’t feature enough of Gus Fring’s enforcer, Mike (Jonathan Banks).  This trailer for season five addresses that oversight right off the bat and I couldn’t be happier.  For fans of Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul), you’ll be happy to see them get back to work in the last season.  As Walt says, “There’s a market to be filled and currently…no one to fill it.”  Luckily, the “awesome dramatic television show” market will be satisfied when Breaking Bad returns to AMC Sunday July 15th.  Hit the jump to see the new trailer.

By the time of season four of Breaking Bad, Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) have been in the meth game long enough to not make rookie mistakes.  Now they’re in the big leagues (making much bigger mistakes), and they’re working under the thumb of Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito), who has a placid exterior and no problem acting as a cold blooded killer.  It’s the best season of the show, and one of the best seasons of television ever.  Our review of the Blu-ray of Breaking Bad season four follows after the jump.

We’re just 20 days away from the biggest pop culture convention of the year with Comic-Con 2012 coming next month, and slowly but surely studios and TV networks are firming up their rosters of films and series that will take San Diego by storm. This week it’s AMC announcing their line-up of panels for the convention, and the trio of programs hitting the Con is no surprise.

The Walking Dead will make a triumphant return to the convention with an hour-long panel in Hall H moderated by Talking Dead host Chris Hardwick and including special guests like cast members Andrew Lincoln, Sarah Wayne Callies, Laurie Holden, Norman Reedus, Steven Yeun, Lauren Cohan, Denai Guerrero and David Morrisey along with Executive Producer and Showrunner Glen Mazzara, Executive Producer Gale Anne Hurd, Executive Producer Robert Kirkman and Co-Executive Producer and Special Effects Make-up Supervisor Greg Nicotero.  But that’s not all. Hit the jump for more.

Just as Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul tweeted that tomorrow is his last day of shooting for this season, we’re hearing reports that a Breaking Bad feature film may be in the foreseeable future.  Why? Because as Walter White (Bryan Cranston) says, “We’re done when I say we’re done.“  The fifth and final season of AMC’s epic dramatic series is coming to a conclusion this summer (in two parts, with part one starting July 15th).  But apparently there’s enough story to carry on even after the next 16 episodes.  This raises interesting questions,  such as, “Who will be left alive at the end of this season to carry on into a feature film?” and “Will the series have a satisfying ending for fans regardless of plans to turn the commodity into a movie?”  Hit the jump for more from Cranston and creator, Vince Gilligan.

Not only do we have an explosive new teaser trailer for the final season of AMC’s Breaking Bad to share with you, we’re also going to provide you with a fan-made recap of all of Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse Pinkman’s (Aaron Paul) exploits so far!  In just under nine minutes, the YouTube user, editing genius and uber fan (who should really be paid by AMC for this fantastic offering) known only as Jswinney1 has managed to recap, chronologically, the first four seasons of Breaking Bad.

If you’re looking to get caught up before the July 15th premiere and are already excited by the final season’s first teaser trailer, look nowhere else to get your fix. The memories and the intensity are overwhelming. As Hector would say, Ding ding ding ding ding! Hit the jump for the glorious vid.

Summer holds the promise of many delightful things: warm weather, vacations, everyone’s favorite Southern supernatural soap opera and the return of AMC’s Breaking Bad.  Vince Gilligan’s creation about a chemistry teacher and a drug dealer who team up to cook meth is about to enter its fifth season. Season four ended with a bang of both the literal and metaphorical variety and I cannot wait to see where the next season takes us.  While there’s not much to go on from this video, stars Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul do delight in teasing us with what we can expect in season five.  We do know that the final season will be broken in half and Cranston leaked some details about the premiere (beware spoilers).  Breaking Bad, also starring Anna Gun, Dean Norris, Betsy Brandt, RJ Mitte, Bob Odenkirk and Jonathan Banks returns to AMC this July.  Hit the jump to watch the teaser.

We’ve got a few movie casting notes for you today. Here they are at a glance:

• Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) and Catherine O’Hara (Home Alone) will star in writer/director Mark Palansky’s Rememory, in which Dinklage assists O’Hara in using her late husband’s invention to solve the mystery around his sudden death.
• Vinessa Shaw (3:10 to Yuma) is in talks to join Steven Soderbergh’s Bitter Pill. The project centers on a married doctor who is drawn into the life of an increasingly troubled patient who self-medicates to dull the anxiety related to the impending release of her husband from prison.
• Bridget Moynahan (I, Robot) joins the semi-autobiographical familial drama, Small Time, drawn from 24 co-creator Joel Surnow’s personal history.

Hit the jump for more on each project.

We’ve got a couple of casting stories to share with you this afternoon. First up, Precious director Lee Daniels continues to fill out the impressive cast for his passion project The Butler. The film tells the true story of Eugene Allen, a butler who served at the White House from 1952 to 1986. Daniels is casting a slew of stars to take small roles as the famous men and women who come through the White House over the years, and Variety reports that Jane Fonda will be taking on Nancy Reagan. Forest Whitaker is set as Allen, with Oprah Winfrey in talks to play Allen’s wife and David Oyelowo up for the role of Allen’s son.

Liam Neeson and John Cusack are apparently circling roles as Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon, respectively, and we also heard that Mila Kunis is eyeing the role of Jackie Kennedy. It’s an ambitious project, and one that’s sure to draw considerable awards buzz. I’m interested to see how Daniels pulls off the “revolving door” aspect without the cameos taking over control of the story. Daniels is directing from a script he co-wrote with Game Change writer Danny Strong. Hit the jump for casting news concerning the indie Small Time.