
Two on-the-bubble NBC shows have officially been given the order for new seasons. The critical favorite yet ratings challenged drama Parenthood has been renewed for a 15-episode fourth season (per TV Line). Showrunner Jason Katims is no stranger to ratings issues despite favorable reviews, as he led the stellar Friday Night Lights through five seasons of “will it be renewed?” drama. I’m a fan of the ensemble and tone of Parenthood, but Katims will most likely have his hands full next season as his medical pilot County is said to be close to a pick up. That show will star Jason Ritter, who led the doomed The Event and has been a frequent guest star on Parenthood.
Hit the jump for news regarding renewals for The Office and a final season for 30 Rock, as well as speculation about the fate of Community and Parks and Recreation. [Update: The Office hasn't officially been renewed yet, but with deals almost done for the main cast members a renewal is expected]

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.

Since Steve Carell left The Office, the happenings on the show have been anything but business as usual. Robert California (James Spader) stopped by to run things for a time before leaving the Scranton branch in the capable, albeit self-conscious, hands of Andy Bernard (Ed Helms). There has been recent talk of Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) leaving to retire to the beet farm bed-and-breakfast in a proposed spin-off. That’s not to mention the expanding film careers of Jenna Fischer, John Krasinski and Craig Robinson, as well as Wilson and Helms. As neither the cast members nor the show itself have been officially been confirmed to return, things are a bit up in the air at the moment. Helms talked a bit about the future of The Office in this recent interview with Steve. Hit the jump for more on this possible series reboot.

It’s always a fun treat when a now-famous actor pops up in a small role in an older movie you haven’t re-watched in a while. We previously posted a “Before They Were Famous” supercut, but now someone has edited together a montage of actors in their very first feature film roles. While you’re most likely aware of the majority of these appearances, I’m willing to bet you’ll find at least a few surprises in this video. I had no idea Jon Hamm was in Clint Eastwood’s “old guys can be astronauts too” movie Space Cowboys, but I now feel compelled to move the pic to the top of my Netflix queue.
Watch Jack Nicholson, Woody Allen, Emma Thompson, Zach Braff and many more make their feature debut after the jump.

Like it does every year, Jimmy Kimmel Live followed the Oscars with a bit that packed in every Hollywood actor they could find. This year, they poked fun at epic movies by creating Movie: The Movie and throwing in every genre possible. Of course, the premise of trying to sell a movie by overloading it with famous faces is absolutely ridiculous. Still, it’s an amusing way to try to start your Monday.
Hit the jump to check out the 9-minute trailer. The fake film’s cast includes George Clooney, Charlize Theron, Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Alba, Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, and Bryan Cranston as the world’s unluckiest hot dog vendor. Movie: The Movie opens Thanksgiving, Christmas, and summer 2012.

It looks like the Gus Van Sant-directed drama starring Matt Damon and John Krasinski now has a title and a distributor. Known as Promised Land, Focus Features and Participant Media had the winning bid for the project co-written by the two stars. Although it was originally meant to be Damon’s directorial debut, scheduling conflicts prevented it. Promised Land stars Damon as a sales executive whose arrival in a small town turns his life upside down. Krasinski will play a rival corporate executive.
Also acquired today by Sony Pictures Classics was the Marion Cotillard-starrer Rust & Bone by director Jacques Audiard (A Prophet). The project is an adaptation from a book of shot stories by Craig Davidson. Hit the jump to check out more from both projects.

Big Miracle (opening in theaters on February 3rd) is inspired by the incredible true story of a family of majestic gray whales trapped by rapidly forming ice in the Arctic Circle, and how an entire Alaskan community fought to save them, with the help of rival world superpowers. Animal lover and outspoken environmentalist Rachel Kramer (Drew Barrymore) is made aware of the harrowing situation when her small-town news reporter ex-boyfriend Adam Carlson (John Krasinski) makes a report that ends up going global. Soon, everyone from an oil tycoon to heads of state to ambitious journalists descend upon Barrow, Alaska, in order to unite and free the whales in time.
At the film’s press day, co-stars Drew Barrymore and John Krasinski talked about how unbelievable and impossible this moving true story seemed, reuniting with director Ken Kwapis, and what they loved about working with each other. Barrymore also talked about staying positive in a business that it’s so easy to become cynical in, while Krasinski talked about his desire to direct again and the currently untitled project he’s developing with Matt Damon, for Gus Van Sant to direct. Check out what they had to say after the jump.

Originally, Matt Damon was going to make his directorial debut with a script co-written by The Office star John Krasinski. Due to scheduling conflicts, the untitled project, described as being about a salesman who experiences life-changing events after arriving in a small town, is now being directed by Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting), with a projected April start date for shooting.
While at the press junket for Big Miracle, inspired by the incredible true story of rival world superpowers who came together to rescue a family of gray whales trapped by rapidly forming ice in the Arctic Circle and opening in theaters on February 3rd, Krasinski talked about the journey the script has taken, why Matt Damon had to drop out as director, and how excited he is to have Gus Van Sant direct his first original script. Check out what he had to say after the jump, and check back for what he had to say about Big Miracle closer to the film’s release date.

We’ve got a couple updates on the latest projects from Oscar-winning screenwriting duo Ben Affleck and Matt Damon (yes, they act too). A few months ago Affleck was chosen by Warner Bros. to direct their big-budget adaptation of the Stephen King novel The Stand. While it’s been a while since we’ve heard any movement on the project, it now appears that Affleck has now set a screenwriter on the pic. After apparently wowing the studio with an adaptation of King’s It, David Kajganich (The Invasion) has been tapped to handle scripting duties. Hit the jump for much more, including news concerning the untitled drama that Damon was previously set to direct.

Yesterday, we reported that Matt Damon had backed out of directing the untitled script he had co-written with John Krasinski, but the two would remain on board to co-star. Today, The Playlist reports and Deadline confirms that Gus Van Sant has stepped in to replace Damon. The “Capra-esque” tale has Damon and Krasinski playing corporate executives. When Damon’s character arrives in a small town, he begins to seriously reexamine his life. Krasinski originally paid Dave Eggers (Away We Go) to write the first draft, and then teamed up with Damon when Eggers was unavailable to do further work on the script. The project can now move forward again with Van Sant on board, but there’s no guarantee that Warner Bros. will make the movie. However, the process of setting the $15 million budget will begin next week.
Hit the jump for more.

Matt Damon had been prepping for his untitled directorial debut, but it looks like he’s left that chair behind. The star had already begun casting and had brought Frances McDormand on to co-star. He had also spoken about being inspired by his previous directors and his excitement about getting behind the camera. However, we’ve now learned that Damon will no longer direct but may still star in the film. According to Vulture, Damon and co-writer and co-star John Krasinski were being “precious” about the script, which is based on a story idea by Dave Eggers and centers on a traveling salesman whose arrival in a small town causes him to seriously reexamine and change his life.
It’s a bit puzzling that Damon wouldn’t be happy enough with the script to direct, but he likes it enough to stay attached to star. It’s not the payday since the movie has a low budget ($12 million), so perhaps he’s willing to give up the director’s chair to someone who can find a way to make the script work. Either way, don’t count this project as dead since the talent on board should draw someone worthwhile to the helm.

We have been keeping tabs on Matt Damon’s directorial ambitions for some time now. The wife-swapping Yankee tale The Trade was an early candidate for his directorial debut, but the project is on hold pending legal issues. The thriller Father Daughter Time emerged as another possibility this summer. When Damon remarked that John Krasinski will star in an upcoming project, we linked Krasinki to Father Daughter Time. However, we learned tonight that Father Daughter Time and the Krasinski collaboration are two separate projects. Krasinski came up with the idea for the untitled drama, which THR compares to Erin Brockovich in the sense that the story centers on a town being poisoned. Variety adds a bit more detail: “Damon plays a salesman who arrives in a small town only to have his whole life called into question.” More after the jump.

In the seventh season of The Office, the writers of the long-running NBC comedy series had two big tasks ahead of them. First, the staff had to deal with the impending exit of manager Michael Scott (Steve Carell) which included giving him a worthy exit and finding him a strong replacement, but also proving that the show would be able to survive without the presence of Carell on-screen. Sadly, this season proved to be one of the weakest, and seems to be proof that the series, just like its former star, might be on the way out. However, the seventh season of The Office still contains some truly great episodes, genuinely touching moments, and one marathon of a fantastic performance from Steve Carell (who should’ve won the Emmy over Jim Parsons last month). For more of my impressions of the DVD release of the seventh season of The Office, hit the jump.

Universal has released the first trailer for Ken Kwapis’ feel-good whale-rescue movie Big Miracle. Formerly titled “Everybody Loves Whales” (not a great title, but far more informative than the generic “Big Miracle”), the story is inspired by the true story of a group effort to get three gray whales back to the ocean after they’re trapped under ice from the Arctic Circle. Combined with Dolphin Tale and Shark Night, it looks like people are ready to care about sea life again.
Hit the jump to check out the trailer. The film stars Drew Barrymore, John Krasinski, Kristen Bell, Dermot Mulroney, Tim Blake Nelson, Stephen Root, and Ted Danson. Big Miracle opens February 3, 2012.

There are so many romantic comedies, with so many obvious conclusions, that it is midly interesting to watch Something Borrowed – though not because it reinvents the formula. No, it’s fascinating because it seems that the further this formula mutates, the less pleasant it makes its leads to somehow gin up a reason why two people who love each other aren’t having sex. Ginnfer Goodwin and Kate Hudson play old friends, with Hudson on the verge of marrying Colin Egglesfield – only for Goodwin to finally reveal her feelings for Egglesfield. Uh oh. Our review of Something Borrowed on Blu-ray follows after the jump.
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