Actress Frances McDormand has been trying to get an adaptation of author Elizabeth Strout’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Olive Kitteridge off the ground for years, and it looks like things are now finally moving forward.  Deadline reports that The Kids Are All Right director Lisa Cholodenko will helm a miniseries adaptation of the novel for HBO in which McDormand and Richard Jenkins will star.  The story focuses on a retired schoolteacher and the characters that surround her, as the various tales of affairs, suicide, and emotional problems in her small Maine town are told through her eyes.  McDormand will star as the schoolteacher, Olive Kitteridge, while Jenkins will play her husband.

Cholodenko had previously been attached to direct an adaptation of the childrens book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, but she recently dropped out.  Jane Anderson wrote the screenplay for the four-hour miniseries.  Hit the jump to read a synopsis of Strout’s book.

Salesmanship can be more powerful than the truth.  Tell people what they want to hear, and they won’t look too hard for something that might contradict their belief.  Promised Land tries to come off as a Capra-esque story about a man discovering that he might be doing wrong to the heartland by selling environmentally hazardous natural gas.  But fittingly, in a movie about ulterior motives and the easy manipulation of a pliable audience, the makers of Promised Land might have an ulterior motive of their own, which undermines a film that rarely finds any truth.

We have an early look at director Gus Van Sant’s Promised Land in seven new clips. Starring Matt Damon and John Krasinski, who also wrote the screenplay, Promised Land centers on a natural gas company executive (Damon) who comes up against homegrown opposition in Dustin Noble (Krasinski) when the corporation tries to buy up a small town’s resource rights.

Also starring Frances McDormand, Rosemarie DeWitt, Hal Holbrook, Scoot McNairy and Titus Welliver, Promised Land opens in limited release on December 28th before expanding in January. Hit the jump to check out the new clips.

Focus Features has released seven new character images from director Gus Van Sant’s upcoming drama Promised Land.  The film stars Matt Damon and Frances McDormand as corporate salesmen who try to prey on an economic town in decline only to have their mission complicated by the citizens they encounter, particularly a character played by John Krasinski.  Damon and Krasinski wrote the screenplay, and the film deals heavily with the consequences of fracking.  These new images introduce the many characters that inhabit this Frank Capra-esque story.

Hit the jump to check out the images, and click here to watch the trailer.  The film also stars Rosemarie DeWitt, Hal Holbrook, Scoot McNairy, and Titus Welliver.  Promised Land opens in limited release on December 28th before expanding in January.

Focus Features has released a batch of new images from director Gus Van Sant’s upcoming drama Promised Land.  The pic was written by Matt Damon and John Krasinski and was originally set to mark Damon’s directorial debut, but scheduling issues forced him to step down and subsequently rope in his Good Will Hunting director Van Sant to take the helm.  Damon and Frances McDormand star as corporate salesmen who try to prey on an economic town in decline only to have their mission complicated by the citizens they encounter, particularly a character played by Krasinski.  The story deals with the consequences of fracking but also looks to have a strong, character-centric bent as well, so I’m eager to see how the political issues are balanced with the story elements.

Hit the jump to check out the new images along with the film’s first trailer in case you missed it.  The film also stars Rosemarie DeWitt, Hal Holbrook, Scoot McNairy, and Titus Welliver.  Promised Land opens in limited release on December 28th before expanding in January.

Wes Anderson is a very specific filmmaker.  Flip on a couple seconds of any of his seven feature films and you’ll instantly recognize it as distinctively “Wes Anderson-y.”  Not everyone loves his peculiar style and controlled aesthetic choices, but fans of Anderson relish being enveloped by a wholly new world with each subsequent feature.  The filmmaker’s output has been met with varying degrees of success over the years, but his latest film is a prime example of the bliss that results from the perfect marriage of director and material.  Hit the jump for our review of Moonrise Kingdom on Blu-ray.

Elizabeth Banks and Diane Lane are poised to team up for the crime drama Every Secret Thing.  Merced Media Partners, Palmstar, and Hyde Park announced today that they will be financing director Amy Berg’s (Deliver Us From Evil) drama from a script by Nicole Holofcener (Please Give, Friends with Money).  The story centers on Ronnie and Alice, who were convicted for the murder of a baby when they were just 11-years-old and were incarcerated until they turned 18.  While attempting to adjust to live outside juvenile detention, children start to go missing and the police turn their attention once again to Ronnie and Alice.  The mystery surrounding the original murder still looms overhead, and their roles in it take center stage in what sounds like an intriguing character drama.

Filming is set to get underway in February 2013, with Frances McDormand onboard as a producer.  That makes quite the line-up both in front of and behind the camera for this promising crime drama.  Berg most recently directed the Peter Jackson-produced documentary West of Memphis, which documents the wrongful conviction of the West Memphis 3.  Hit the jump to read the full press release for Every Secret Thing.

The first U.S. trailer for the emo Nazi-hunter movie This Must Be the Place has been released.  The film stars Sean Penn as an aging-rocker who becomes obsessed with pursuing the Nazi criminal who tormented his father in a concentration camp.  The French trailer for the film showcased Penn’s strange performance, but this new trailer is just straight up bizarre.  I’m not really sure what Penn’s going for, but he’s created one hell of an offbeat character.  There are a couple laughs in the clip, but I honestly don’t know if this movie’s supposed to be a drama or a comedy.  Then there’s that random Talking Heads cameo.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  Directed by Paolo Sorrentino, the film also stars Frances McDormand and Judd Hirsch.  This Must Be the Place opens on October 14th.

You’re driving down the street, and it’s suddenly blocked off.  You notice these weird yellow signs with nonsensical letters or numbers.  There’s unusual glow lighting up a neighborhood you can’t usually see from your house.  What you might have here is a film company shooting in your town.  It happens a lot, and you never know where they might pop up…until now.

The following is a semi-comprehensive list of films currently shooting, what they’re shooting, and where they’re shooting.  We’ll be telling you where you might get to see the very famous, the kinda famous and (if all goes well) the soon-to-be famous. While we can’t list every single movie, television show, or student film in production, you’ll get a pretty good idea of what the heck is going on where all those people are buzzing about.  Want to know where in the world are Matt Damon, Harrison Ford, Sylvester Stallone, Woody Harrelson, and Leonardo DiCaprio? Hit the jump for more.

Focus Features has released a new behind-the-scenes featurette for Wes Anderson‘s Moonrise Kingdom.  The featurette does a good job of explaining the plot, and most of the adult cast– Bruce Willis, Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, and Jason Schwartzman—break down their respective characters.  The cast also talks up Anderson’s distinct visual style, but the style is large part of why I’m slightly wary of the film.  The movie looks cute and funny, but it also seems like its verging on self-parody.  Hopefully, the film’s heart and humor won’t be overshadowed by the style.

Hit the jump to check out the featurette, and click here for six clips from the movie.  The film also stars Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, and Bob Balaban.  Moonrise Kingdom will open the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, and open in limited release on May 25th.

Last week we shared two clips from Wes Anderson’s latest feature, Moonrise Kingdom, and now all of the clips released thus far are officially online.  There are six clips in total and they’re chock full of Anderson staples.  The visuals are gorgeous, the actors look like they’re having a blast, and the camera movements are undeniably Anderson-y.  For those unfamiliar, the story centers on a young boy and girl who decide to run away together into the wilderness, and the madness that ensues from the community’s search for the pair.  I’m a big fan of Anderson so this one’s been on my radar for a while, and these clips only serve to reinforce my excitement for the film.  Let the twee commence!

Hit the jump to check out the clips.  The film stars Bruce Willis, Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Jason Schwartzman, Jared Gilman, and Kara Hayward.  Moonrise Kingdom will open the Cannes Film Festival (in-competition) and will open in limited release on May 25th.

Focus Features announced today that production has commenced on the drama Promised Land.  The screenplay was written by Matt Damon and John Krasinski, based on a story by Dave Eggers, and the project was poised to be Damon’s directorial debut before scheduling issues forced him to vacate the director’s chair. Damon’s Good Will Hunting director Gus Van Sant swooped in and swiftly took over directing duties, and now filming has begun.  Focus President Jeb Brody draws some very flattering comparisons when describing the project:

“Matt and John’s script is rich in Frank Capra-esque qualities, blending humor and heart while exploring the power of community in this day and age. An actor’s director like Gus will bring forth all the emotions in the story, which is a true passion project for everyone.”

In addition to Damon and Krasinski, the cast also includes Frances McDormand, Hal Holbrook, Rosemarie DeWitt, Scoot McNairy, and Titus Welliver.  Hit the jump to read the press release, which includes a plot synopsis.

With writer-director Wes Anderson, nothing is ever very simple.  The Fantastic Mr. Fox is not just for kids, Ben Stiller is not just a comedic actor, and these new character posters for Anderson’s latest feature, Moonrise Kingdom, are not just ordinary posters.  A batch of seven character posters for the film have gone online, but the catch is that they’re all motion posters with interactive qualities.  Moreover, they’re a thing of beauty.  The artwork for Anderson’s films is always gorgeous, but these Moonrise Kingdom posters are at once visually appetizing and downright fun.

Hit the jump to check out the posters.  The film stars Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, Jared Gilman, and Kara Hayward.  Moonrise Kingdom will open on May 25th.

An international poster for Wes Anderson‘s new comedy Moonrise Kingdom has gone online.  The story centers on a young boy and girl who decide to run away together into the wilderness, and the madness of the community’s search for the pair.  While I prefer the first poster for the movie, this one has a nice touch by making it clear that the background is a painted backdrop.

Hit the jump to check out the poster and click here for new images from the movie.  The film stars Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, Jared Gilman, and Kara Hayward. Moonrise Kingdom will open the Cannes Film Festival, and open in limited release on May 25th.

A new batch of images from Wes Anderson’s upcoming pic Moonrise Kingdom has landed online.  The story centers on a young boy and a young girl who decide to run away together into the wilderness, and the madness of the community’s search for the pair.  Anderson’s stellar ensemble cast is filled out with the likes of Bruce Willis, Tilda Swinton, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, Bill Murray, and, of course, Jason Schwartzman.  These images give us a nice feel for the tone Anderson has in mind, and as a big fan of the writer/director I’m incredibly excited to check the full film out (I included it in the latest installment of our Most Anticipated feature).

Hit the jump to check out the images, which feature stars Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward fairly prominently.  Moonrise Kingdom opens on May 25th.