Fresh off the huge success of their massively viewed adaptations The Bible and Hatfields & McCoys, History is currently working on a miniseries project tentatively called Houdini, with Adrien Brody (The Pianist) signed on to play the famous magician and performer.  Gerald Abrams (Modern Marvels), father of the beloved J.J. Abrams, is on board to produce the series.  Although not much has been announced about the show, EW says it will depict Houdini’s rags-to-riches story as a magic man and stunt performer at the turn of the 20^th century.  Houdini’s release date is still TBA.  Hit the jump for more.

HISTORY has announced their cast for the scripted series, Vikings. Hoping to bank on the success of HBO’s Game of Thrones, writer Michael Hirst (The Tudors) created the series based on real life figures of Scandanavian history.  The story follows the family saga and rise to power of Ragnar Lothbrok, a great hero who pushed the limits of exploration and rose to become King of the Viking tribes.  Gabriel Byrne and George Blagden are joined by Travis Fimmel, Jessalyn Gilsig, Gustaf Skarsgard, Clive Standen and Katheryn Winnick. Hit the jump for the full press release.

Memorial Day is still quite awhile off, but that’s not stopping the History Channel from teasing you with a sneak peek trailer at their forthcoming drama series Hatfields & McCoys, the chronicle of one of the most infamous family rivalries in American history. Kevin Costner plays “Devil” Anse Hatfield and Bill Paxton plays Randall McCoy in the three-part miniseries from that hits cable this summer. This trailer looks damn good, and seems like a fine return to the Western genre for Costner who has delivered such classics as Dances with Wolves. Check out the trailer after the jump along with a short synopsis of the conflict between the Hatfields and McCoys.

History (formerly known as The History Channel) announced two high profile projects today.  The first, The Hatfield and the McCoys, centers on the infamous 19th-century family feud.  Kevin Costner will star as “Devil” Anse Hatfield and co-produce with Leslie Greif.  The press release claims the 2012 premiere will coincide with the 150th anniversary of the feud, but I’m not sure how they determine the anniversary for a multidecade feud that was initiated 146 years ago.  Brad Pitt, Robert Duvall, and Crazy Heart director Scott Cooper were linked to a separate Hatfield/McCoy movie over a year ago, with the caveat that it will happen “if and when Pitt decides to clear a place in his schedule.”  I imagine the Costner project will dissuade Pitt from searching too hard for that hole.

Additionally, History is developing a docudrama series with producer Mark Burnett (Survivor).  The network promises all the greatest hits: Noah’s Ark, the Exodus from Egypt, Daniel and the Lion’s Den, and of course, the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.  The press release highlights the “state-of-the-art computer-generated imagery (CGI),” which is absolutely noteworthy in 2011.  The 10-hour series will air in five parts in 2013.

Read the official announcement for both projects after the jump.

America’s political system has been a favorite subject of filmmakers for decades.  The reasons are clear.  There’s enough grandstanding, scandal, backstabbing and intrigue in a week on Capitol Hill to fill a season of any network soap opera.  Take the latest entry into the genre.  Casino Jack, in the early stages of a nationwide rollout, follows the real-life story of so-called super-lobbyist Jack Abramoff who served time in prison for defrauding four Native American tribes out of tens of millions of dollars and trading money and gifts for political favors from some of DC’s biggest power brokers.  While the scandal landed public officials in prison, the film has landed Kevin Spacey a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy) and very positive reviews for Barry Pepper as Abramoff’s protégé Michael Scanlon.

Pepper recently sat down with Collider for a wide-ranging conversation.  Hit the jump for the interview’s full audio and transcript, including his view of Washington, whether he’d run for office, his wild experience on a new Terrence Malick film and his very thorough research to play Robert F. Kennedy.