Mr. Selfridge, the latest PBS and ITV collaboration, chronicles the exploits of the man who founded the famous high-end Selfridges department store in London, and in doing so, changed our understanding of modern merchandizing.  The series ran at the first of the year in the U.K. to mixed, though generally favorable reviews, and having personally consumed the entire ten-episode series in a matter of days I can say unequivocally that it’s worth watching.  Mr. Selfridge doesn’t ask much of its viewers, but it’s a sprawling drama adapted by Andrew Davies (who has adapted pretty much every British miniseries you can think of) from a novel, and the series’ sumptuous costume designs and whirling stories are greatly entertaining.

Hit the jump for what Mr. Selfridge, starring Jeremy Piven (Entourage) has to offer, and why the women of the series end up stealing the show.

The official synopses for a couple of upcoming Universal Pictures films have been released.  Director Peter Cornwell’s (The Haunting in Connecticut) supernatural thriller Mercy is based on the short story of the same name by Stephen King and stars Chandler Riggs (The Walking Dead) and Joel Courtney (Super 8) as two young boys who, after moving with their mother to take care of their dying grandmother at a decrepit farmhouse, encounter a dark spirit.  Shirley Knight, Frances O’Connor, Mark Duplass, and Dylan McDermott also star in this Jason Blum-produced (Paranormal Activity) thriller.

Additionally, we’ve got an official synopsis for the action-comedy Ride Along.  Directed by Tim Story (Fantastic Four), the film stars Kevin Hart as a fast-talking aspiring police officer who must team up with his girlfriend’s brother, a hot-tempered cop (Ice Cube), to prove that he’s worthy of being her husband.  The film also stars John Leguizamo, Jay Pharoah, and Laurence Fishbourne and opens on January 17, 2014.  Hit the jump to read the full synopses.

If you thought all of Stephen King’s works had been adapted already (some of them twice), think again.  His short story “Gramma,” appearing in King’s 1985 short-story collection “Skeleton Crew,” is set to be adapted into the horror feature, Mercy.  The short story centered on a boy left at home to watch over his bed-ridden grandmother, only to come to the realization that Gramma harbored a secret much darker than he could ever have imagined.  Universal has teamed up with Blumhouse Productions for the adaptation. Hit the jump to read up on the reason for the title change, as well as the cast and crew who have signed on so far.

The new trailer and poster for The Hunter have been released. The film stars Willem Dafoe as a mysterious man who has been hired to track and hunt the last remaining Tasmanian Tiger. While on the hunting mission, Dafoe must keep his employer and true intent a secret from the suspicious townspeople. While the logline may seem a bit generic (and familiar, given the upcoming release of the survival pic The Grey), the trailer is actually pretty damn enthralling. Dafoe is great as always, and a tremendous air of suspense envelops every scene. The pic premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, where Matt wasn’t all too taken by it (read his review here). I’m really hoping the film delivers, as I’m quite intrigued by this trailer.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer and poster. Directed by Daniel Nettheim, the film also stars Frances O’Connor and Sam Neill. The Hunter will be available VOD on March 2nd, and hits theaters April 6th.

A number of actors have been added to the cast of Francesca Gregorini’s (Tanner Hall) indie Emanuel and the Truth About Fishes. The film stars Kaya Scodelario (Clash of the Titans) as a troubled 17-year-old named Emanuel who agrees to babysit her new neighbor Linda’s “baby”, though the baby turns out to actually be a life-like doll. “She goes along with the delusion while befriending Linda (Jessica Biel), who happens to be the splitting image of Emanuel’s late mother.” Now Alfred Molina (Spider-Man 2), Frances O’Connor (A.I. Artificial Intelligence), Jimmi Simpson (Date Night), and rising star Aneurin Barnard are set to join the cast. Hit the jump for more.

The teaser trailer for Australian director Daniel Nettheim’s adaptation of The Hunter is now available online. Based on the novel by Julia Leigh (who directed this year’s Cannes-entry Sleeping Beauty starring Emily Browning), The Hunter tells the story of Martin David (played by Willem Dafoe), a mysterious man who is in search of the last Tasmanian tiger known to exist. While this may sound like a straightforward enough narrative, the twist comes from the fact that David must keep his employer and true intent a secret from suspicious townspeople.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer which features some really nice cinematography combined with enough foreboding for two teaser trailers. In addition to Dafoe, The Hunter also stars Sam Neill and Frances O’Connor. The film is scheduled to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival which runs from September 8th – 18th.

Terry O’Quinn (Lost) joins Jesse L. Martin (Law & Order), Frances O’Connor (Cashmere Mafia), and Arielle Kebbel (The Vampire Diaries) in the cast of Hallelujah, a musical drama pilot set up by Marc Cherry (Desperate Housewives) at ABC.  According to THR, Hallelujah is set in the town of Hallelujah, Tennessee, which is being “torn apart by the forces of good evil” before a mysterious stranger (Martin) comes to town.  O’Quinn is clearly fictionally unable to escape the warring factions of good and evil, but Cherry’s take is sure to be land on the lighter side of deep philosophical questions.

For those keeping score during pilot season, NBC declined to film a pilot for Odd Jobs, the proposed re-teaming of O’Quinn and Lost co-star Michael Emerson.  Emerson has a new show of his own in Person of Interest.

[Update: Donal Logue (Terriers) has joined the cast.  More about Hallelujah after the jump.]

We have two bits of casting news.  First up, Willem Dafoe, Sam Neill and Frances O’Connor have singed on to star in The Hunter.  THR reports that the film will be a psychological thriller based on the novel Hunter by Julia Leigh, which centers on “a mercenary sent from Europe by an anonymous biotech company to the Tasmanian wilderness on a dramatic hunt for the last Tasmanian tiger.”  Australian director Daniel Nettheim will be directing the film, which already started production this week in Tasmania.

After the jump, you can read about Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation) being attached to star in The Hand Job.

Cameras started rolling today in Charleston, SC on Little Red Wagons, an inspirational tale of a pint-sized philanthropist directed by David Anspaugh (Rudy, Hoosiers).  In the film, eight-year-old Tampa resident Zach Bonner founds “the Little Red Wagon Foundation and creates ‘Zach Packs,’ backpacks filled with life’s bare essentials – plus a toy, to show homeless kids that someone cares about them.”  Awww.

The cast includes Chandler Canterbury (Knowing), Anna Gunn (Breaking Bad), Frances O’Connor (Artificial Intelligence: AI), Daveigh Chase (Big Love) and newcomer Dylan Matzke.  Hit the jump for the full press release.