A couple of updates out of the camp of FX pilots.  Unfortunately, it looks like Oscar-winning director Ang Lee will be tapping out of production on the drama pilot Tyrant, citing exhaustion from filming and promoting Life of Pi.  The story centers on an unassuming American family drawn into the workings of a turbulent Middle East nation; Tyrant’s pilot may be shooting in Morocco.  The search for a replacement is currently underway.

For more on what Lee had to say about his departure from the project and for casting information on Guillermo del Toro’s FX pilot, The Strain, hit the jump.

Mark Romanek is an incredibly talented filmmaker from whom we have seen far too little.  The director first gained notice for his work in the world of music videos, helming Nine Inch Nails’ “Closer”, Michael and Janet Jackson’s “Scream”, and most notably Johnny Cash’s hauntingly beautiful “Hurt.” Then in 2002, Romanek directed his second feature, the psychological thriller One Hour Photo starring Robin Williams.  The film was met with both critical and commercial success, and is now getting its long-deserved HD treatment with a Blu-ray transfer that was supervised by Romanek himself.

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Romanek on the phone in anticipation of the Blu-ray release for One Hour Photo (available now), and during the course of our conversation, the Never Let Me Go filmmaker talked about what it was like to revisit one of his films so extensively a decade after its release, the Blu-ray’s extras, developing a limited series at FX, what happened with Cinderella, his future projects, and more.  Romanek also spoke about his departure from 2010’s The Wolfman and what his vision for that film entailed, and he talked about his desire to make a film on a larger canvas.  Hit the jump to read the full interview.

In recent years, the television landscape has become a haven for complex, character-driven material from some of the best creative minds in the business.  No longer is TV considered the ugly stepchild of the film world, as everyone from Martin Scorsese to David Fincher is now dabbling in the art of longform storytelling with a great amount of creative freedom on networks like HBO, FX, and even Netflix.  Now it appears that one more incredibly talented filmmaker is dipping his toe into the TV pool, as One Hour Photo and Never Let Me Go director Mark Romanek is developing a limited series at FX.

Earlier today, I spoke with Romanek in anticipation of next week’s Blu-ray release of his excellent 2002 film One Hour Photo.  During the course of our conversation, the director revealed that he has just sold a limited series idea to FX based on a true crime story.  Hit the jump for more.

The Americans is FX’s period drama about the complex and complicated marriage of two KGB spies posing as Americans in suburban Washington, D.C., shortly after Ronald Reagan was elected President.  Philip (Matthew Rhys) and Elizabeth (Keri Russell) have a network of spies and informants under their control, while their two children – 13-year-old Paige (Holly Taylor) and 10-year-old Henry (Keidrich Sellati) – know nothing about their parents’ true identity.  Even though Philip’s growing affinity for America’s values and way of life leads to tension with Elizabeth, the two must work together to keep the FBI from discovering who they really are.

During this recent interview to look back on Season 1 and ahead to Season 2, executive producers Joseph Weisberg and Joel Fields talked about the origin of the series, finding the perfect lead actors, determining how much of a cliffhanger they wanted to end on, where they’re hoping to take Season 2, their possible plans for the kids and their inevitable suspicions, and that they’ll have to get to work pretty quickly on the second season.  Check out what they had to say after the jump, and be aware that there are some spoilers.

While last week’s “Peace of Mind” felt like a finale, “Ghosts” was like an extended epilogue tying up some loose ends in what was another terrific season of Justified.  And although the season’s Drew Thompson mystery arc was solved four episodes ago, the series continued its greatness until the end as it examined the various burdens a life of crime brings for both sides of the law.  From its tense nursery shootout to Raylan’s sly way of handling Nicky Augustine, up until its haunting final shots, “Ghosts” was a fun and somber send off – with its own fair share of dark humor, of course.  More on the season finale of Justified after the jump. 

FX, home of Sons of Anarchy, Justified, and The Americans (which has already been picked up for a second season), just exploded with information about new spin-off channels, series renewals, new series and more, such as:

• FX has launched a new network, FXX, to appeal to a young adult set of viewers.
• Series renewals include Justified, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The League and Legit, with the latter three moving to FXX in 2014.
• Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell expands to a 5-nights-a week.
• FX orders a 10-episode limited series of Fargo.
• FX orders comedy pilots How and Why from Charlie Kaufman, and Chozen from Grant Dekernion, Danny McBride and the team behind Eastbound & Down.

Hit the jump for all the details.

Can career criminals change their ways?  Or are they destined for jail or the grave?   These questions were examined in the penultimate “Peace of Mind”, which saw Justified’s finest confronting their various faiths and destinies.  Whether it be their faith in each other or the spiritual kind, several characters found themselves wrestling with who and what to rely on.  Then there’s that sonuvabitch fate that batters into you sometimes – Colt can tell you all about it.  It was a deep episode as well as an arresting one with some surprises and one helluva cliffhanger.  Hit the jump to help us celebrate Everybody Wins Day.

Some of the greatest moments on Justified occur when characters are simply sitting in the same room and talking.  That’s a testament to the sharp writing and stellar cast and it’s a fact that’s been prevalent since episode one.  “Decoy” was filled with these moments, but the scenes were amplified by the fact that a bulk of the characters were holed up somewhere, waiting for the Detroit shit to hit the fan.  Add in several intense stand-offs and two horribly nerve-wracking scenes and you’ve got one of the most entertaining episodes of the season.  More on this week’s Justified after the jump.

“So Ang Lee, you’ve won the Oscar for best director what are ya gonna do now?” “I’m going to direct and executive produce a TV show!”  Once again cluing us all into just how the TV landscape has changed over the last fifteen years from second-tier to top notch storytelling, the Life Of Pi director is set to helm the pilot of Tyrant, a new show that is being set up at FX which will follow an American family caught amidst the inner workings of a Middle Eastern nation.

Hit the jump for the lowdown.

In its fractious fifth season, FX’s biker drama Sons of Anarchy introduced us to two new characters, with varying results.  The first, Nero Padilla (played by Jimmy Smits) started out as a love interest for Gemma (Katey Segal), but ended up being a better father figure to Jax (Charlie Hunnam) than his (increasingly evil) step-father Clay (Ron Perlman).  Nero helped the MC financially and also emotionally as things began to break apart.  As much as he wanted to help lead Jax away from its violence, he ended up caught in its web as well.

Last year we also got the beginning of the story of U.S. Marshall Lee Toric (Donal Logue) in the final few episodes, and it seems Logue will also be back in the new season to expand on that part.  Hit the jump for more on these characters and what we might see of them coming up.  

One of the best comedies currently on television has just been renewed.  FX announced today that the hilarious animated series Archer has been picked up for a 13-episode fifth season.  Season four is currently in the midst of airing on the network, and ratings have continued to climb.  Compared to season two, this season has posted ratings gains of +44% in the adults 18-34 demo and +36% in the adults 18-49 demo.  Moreover, the show continues to shine creatively as the exploits of the titular character (voiced H. Jon Benjamin) are as entertaining as ever under the direction of creator/showrunner Adam Reed and executive producer Matt Thompson.

Hit the jump to read the full press release, and click here to read Dave’s report from last month’s Archer Live! event.  7 episodes remain in the current fourth season, with the two-part season finale set to air on April 4th and April 11th.

We’ve got a couple of interesting casting stories to share this afternoon.  First up, add Ben Stiller to the long list of guest stars that will be appearing on the upcoming fourth season of Arrested Development.  EW reports that Stiller will reprise his role as magician Tony Wonder in one episode of the resurrected show on Netflix, but further details are unknown.  Though it was recently confirmed that this will be the one and only new season of the show, creator Mitch Hurwitz certainly does seem to have put together one hell of a run of episodes.  Other guest stars include Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Conan O’Brien, Isla Fisher, Andy Richter, John Slattery, and Terry Crews.  All 13 episodes will be released at the same time on Netflix in May.

Hit the jump to find out who will be playing the chief antagonist in the upcoming third season of American Horror Story.

Just four episodes into its inaugural season, FX has already granted its spy drama series The Americans a 13-episode order for a second season.  The show has garnered a lot of critical acclaim and is backed by strong performances from its leads, Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys and Noah Emmerich.  According to the network, the series premiere was the most-watched debut in FX’s history, with 5.11 million viewers tuning in.  The network is also reporting ratings gains every week, making The Americans a bona fide hit.

The show, created by Joe Weisberg (a former CIA agent), takes place in 1981 just after Ronald Reagan’s election, and follows two embedded KGB spies, Elizabeth and Philip Jennings, (Russell and Rhys) who spent years preparing to become “typical” Americans so they could help out their government from U.S. soil.  Though Elizabeth struggles with the emotional aspects of assimilation, Philip seems to be developing some positive feelings for the land they were bred to hate.  In addition to the spy elements, the show also focuses on the newly budding relationship between the two leads, who were forced into a marriage for appearances sake, but have only now begun to see each other as more than business partners.  Hit the jump for more on the series, and click here to catch up on my recaps.

I solicited a lot of feedback about The Americans this week because I was confused about how I could still be left so cold by a show that seems so beloved and full of things I should like (spies! Russians! Keri Russell‘s hair!).  It seemed I wasn’t really alone though, and there were plenty of people who felt like I did, that while the show was objectively good, it lacked a spark.  However, last week’s episode, “Gregory,” went a long way in repairing my feelings about the show, which is tough and can be difficult to follow.  It’s not a casual experience, but a deeply involved one that asks us to be completely engaged in it, with a fair amount of background knowledge.  It’s a show that, I know, will grow richer with repeated viewings.  Finally though, this week, I saw the light.  “In Control” was a very solidly entertaining hour of TV.  Hit the jump for more on why “one mistake is all it takes.”

Last week I pondered what it was about The Americans that lacked a spark.  It’s a great show, and “Gregory” proved in a number of ways why (the complexity of Elizabeth and Philip’s marriage, the perfect execution of the heist, a look into the inner workings of a deep spy cover).  Still, I find the show dour and self-important, and as one commenter mentioned last week, it very simply lacks humor.  There’s never a reason for so much as a smirk (thank the lord for the advent of Margo Martindale as Gabriel’s replacement, but even still).  The Americans isn’t as hardcore as Sons of Anarchy or evenBreaking Bad, but both of those series find plenty of ways to inject some much-needed comic relief from time to time.  Hit the jump for why, in Soviet Russia, the jump hits YOU!