Unlike its broadcasting cohorts, CBS doesn’t typically use its upfronts as a time to frantically throw the everything and the kitchen sink out there in the hopes one sticks.  CBS knows its audience, and it’s steadily successful because of it.  What is so interesting with this year’s upfronts then is that they actually did shake things up a little: they didn’t pick up another NCIS spinoff, and they overlooked Beverly Hills Cops.

Instead, CBS is adding two single-camera comedies (The Crazy Ones with Robin Williams, and We Are Men with Kal Penn) and a limited series run of Hostages, a Jerry Bruckheimer production.  Though most of the CBS schedule will look familiar (crime shows, canned laughter comedy), these new additions add a level of interest to CBS’s schedule not usually seen.  Hit the jump for the schedule details.

The Weinstein Company has released the first trailer for director Lee Daniels’ (Precious, The Paperboy) historical drama The Butler.  Based on a true story, the film stars Forrest Whitaker as Cecil Gaines, a butler who served at the White House from 1952 to 1986.  The trailer plays up the film’s awards prospects as we see a flash of famous faces playing the many notable persons who walked the halls of the White House throughout this period (Alan Rickman is particularly striking as President Reagan), and that’s balanced with an overview of Gaines’ life in a racially tense America.  While the film certainly looks like it has the potential to be powerful, cautious optimism is key whenever Lee Daniels is involved.

Hit the jump to watch the debut trailer.  The film also stars Oprah Winfrey, David Oyelowo, Mariah Carey, John Cusack, Jane Fonda, Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard, Minka Kelly, Lenny Kravitz, Melissa Leo, James Marsden, Alex Pettyfer, Vanessa Redgrave, Liev Schreiber, and Robin Williams.  The Butler opens on October 18th.

Lionsgate has released a new trailer for director Justin Zackham’s ensemble romantic comedy The Big Wedding.  The film centers on a divorced couple (Robert De Niro and Diane Keaton) who are forced to pretend like they’re still married when their adopted son’s (Ben Barnes) deeply religious biological mother comes to town for his wedding.  Though the cast boasts some actual talent, the way the movie is framed in this recent trailer almost plays like a parody, complete with cheesy voiceover, zany physical comedy, and The Romantics’ “What I Like About You.”  The pic was previously scheduled for release last October before Lionsgate decided to push it to this spring.

Hit the jump to take a look at the new trailer.  The film also stars Katherine Heigl, Amanda Seyfried, Susan Sarandon, Topher Grace, and Robin Williams.  The Big Wedding opens on October 26th.

A couple of casting additions have been announced.  First up, Joel McHale, Lauren Graham, and Robin Williams will topline the dysfunctional family holiday comedy A Friggin’ Christmas Miracle.  Per THR, the story follows “Boyd Mitchler (McHale) and his wifeLuann (Lauren Graham), as they spend a dreaded Christmas with Boyd’s father Mitch (Williams) and his family of misfits. Upon realizing that he has left all of his son’s gifts at home, Boyd hits the road with his father and younger brother in an attempt to make the 8-hour round trip before sunrise.”

Tristram Shapeero (Community, Workaholics) will make his feature directorial debut on the project, with production looking to begin in late March in Atlanta.  Community vets and Captain America: The Winter Soldier directors Joe and Anthony Russo are producing the film.  Hit the jump for casting information regarding Lana and Andy Wachowski’s Jupiter Ascending.

A momentous occasion happened last night on late night television: Matt Damon finally reached a breaking point and hijacked Jimmy Kimmel Live.  Damon has been the brunt of a long-running joke on the show in which Kimmel ends each night’s broadcast by apologizing for bumping Matt Damon when they run out of time.  Damon has appeared in a few sketches here and there that tie-in with the gag, but fresh off Kimmel’s timeslot change that puts him up against Letterman and Leno, Damon hosted the entire show last night as he had “kidnapped” Kimmel.

It was a hilariously fun 90 minutes, as Damon must have picked up the phone and called all his closest friends since the broadcast was filled with the likes of Ben Affleck, Gary Oldman, Nicole Kidman, Robin Williams, Reese Witherspoon, Andy Garcia, Amy Adams, Sheryl Crow, Demi Moore, and plenty others.  Hit the jumps to watch a few highlights from the show.

Director Dito Montiel (Fighting) is readying his next film.  The Guide to Recognizing Your Saints helmer most recently wrapped the crime pic Empire State starring Dwayne Johnson and Liam Hemsworth, and now Montiel is turning his attention to the drama Boulevard.  Written by Doulgas Soesbe, the story centers on “a devoted husband in a marriage of convenience until run-in with a guarded young man forces him to come to terms with his own secrets.”  It was announced today that Robin Williams will star as the husband, while newcomer Roberto Aguire is set to play the young man.  Production begins in May in Nashville.

A timetable for production isn’t given, but Williams has a number of upcoming films in the can.  He’ll appear in the ensemble romantic comedy The Big Wedding this spring, and also stars in the indie The Angriest Man in Brooklyn and director Lee Daniels’ White House drama The Butler as President Dwight Eisenhower.  Hit the jump to read the press release.

New photos have emerged from the sets of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and The Angriest Man in Brooklyn.  The set photos from Catching Fire show off Donald Sutherland as the nefarious President Snow.  I would like to think that Snow plays a larger role in the new film, but I doubt it since Sutherland is never in a movie for more than ten minutes total (go ahead and look back at his work from the last decade; it’s always a small but significant role).  As for Angriest Man, the film centers on a stand-in doctor who mistakenly tells an obnoxious patient that he has an hour-and-a-half left to live.  While the patient goes on a tirade in New York City, attempting to right all the wrongs in his life, the doctor tries in vain to track him down.  The film stars Mila Kunis, Robin Williams, and Peter Dinklage.

Hit the jump to check out the set photos.  The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is due out November 22, 2013.

It’s been thirty years since Robin Williams starred in a television series (Mork & Mindy), but the veteran comedian is looking to make his way back to the small screen.  It looks like his comedy vehicle will be a single-camera comedy series written by none other than David E. Kelley (Ally McBeal, The Practice).  CBS is currently eying the series which sets Williams up as a brilliant ad executive who ends up working alongside his daughter.  The half-hour episodic comedy would reunite Kelley with CBS, where his drama Picket Fences picked up his first Emmy.  Deadline further reports that Williams has recently wrapped shooting on Lee Daniels’ The Butler and is moving onto The Angriest Man in Brooklyn which also stars Peter Dinklage, Mila Kunis, Melissa Leo and James Earl Jones.

Direct from the ongoing shoot in New Orleans comes the first look at Forest Whitaker in costume as Eugene Allen, the man behind the title role in director Lee Daniels’ The Butler.  We also have some new set photos of James Marsden and Minka Kelly in costume as John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jackie Kennedy.  The ensemble drama about the life of the White House servant who looked after eight first families was based on Wil Haygood’s 2008 Washington Post article about Allen.  The picture also stars Oprah Winfrey, David Oyelowo, John Cusack, Alex Pettyfer, Aml Ameen, Alan Rickman, Jane Fonda and Robin Williams.  Hit the jump to check out the images. [Update: The set photos have been removed at the request of the pictures' owners.]

In an effort to produce more family friendly fare, Sony Pictures is looking to remake their 1995 box-office hit, Jumanji.  Now, the studio has attached The Amazing Spider-Man producer, Matt Tolmach to shepherd the project along with original producer, William Teitler.  Another of the original film’s producers, Ted Field, will return to executive produce. The Robin Williams-starrer featured two children (one of whom was a young Kirsten Dunst) who played the titular board game, released a man trapped within (Williams) and needed to finish the game in order to restore order to their world.  Variety reported on Tolmach’s attachment to the project that hopes to entertain a new generation of kids (and empty the pockets of their parents).

The first trailer and poster for the ensemble romantic comedy The Big Wedding have been released.  The film centers on a divorced couple (Robert De Niro and Diane Keaton) who are forced to pretend like they’re still married when their adopted son’s (Ben Barnes) deeply religious biological mother comes to town for his wedding.  Zaniness ensues.  Though the involvement of Katherine Heigl puts this one immediately on iffy ground, the highlight of the trailer is the chemistry between De Niro and Keaton. If the film focuses mainly on their relationship, we might be in for a fairly amusing rom-com.  That said, the clip definitely plays up the farcical tone and “wacky antics” that occur when everything goes awry, so I’m not exactly holding my breath.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  Directed by Justin Zackham, the film also stars Amanda Seyfried, Susan Sarandon, Topher Grace, and Robin Williams.  The Big Wedding opens on October 26th.

Robin Williams has now firmed up plans to star in two upcoming projects.  First up, Williams will play President Dwight D. Eisenhower in director Lee Daniels’ drama The Butler.  The film tells the true story of Eugene Allen, a butler who served at the White House from 1952 to 1986.  Forest Whitaker plays Allen, Oprah Winfrey is set as his wife, and David Oyelowo will star as Allen’s son.  Daniels is casting a number of stars to play the famous men and women who come in and out of the White House over the years, and it was announced today that Williams will be playing Eisenhower.  John Cusack, Alan Rickman, Terrence Howard, Vanessa Redgrave, Jane Fonda, Colman Domingo, Minka Kelly, and more are also lined up to appear.

Additionally, we previously heard that Williams would star alongside Mila Kunis and Peter Dinklage in Phil Alden Robinson’s high concept comedy The Angriest Man in Brooklyn.  The actor’s involvement has now been confirmed, and you can read the full press release after the jump.

Louis C.K. is one of the most honest and respected comedic voices of his generation, was recently named the world’s greatest comedian by Entertainment Weekly, and has amassed a huge following of fans who enjoy his hilarious stand-up and his FX comedy series Louie, for which he serves as show creator, executive producer, writer, director, editor and star.  Along with the show kicking off Season 3, Louis is going to launch a 39-city tour of his stand-up in October, with tickets all priced at $45 and available for purchase through www.LouieCK.net.

During a recent interview to promote the return of his popular comedy series, Louis C.K. talked about the challenges of juggling everything that he does, the guest stars that he’s excited about this season, how FX really leaves him alone to make the show that he wants, his motivation for selling tickets for his stand-up tour directly through his website, what it’s like to be recognized more often now, and what he typically likes to watch when he has the time.  Check out what he had to say after the jump.

Here are today’s casting notes at a glance:

• Dan Aykroyd will join Michael Douglas and Matt Damon in Steven Soderbergh’s Liberace picture, Behind the Candelabra.
• Robin Williams (Good Will Hunting), Shirley MacLaine (The Apartment) and Oliver Cooper (Project X) will star in the ensemble comedy, A Film by Alan Stuart, from writer/director Andy Bergman.
• Evanna Lynch (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) will join Gary Oldman, Malcolm McDowell and Dominic Monaghan in Monster Butler.

Hit the jump for more on each picture.

You have 90 minutes left to live, what do you do?  That’s the premise of The Angriest Man in Brooklyn, a new screenplay from Daniel Tapitz (Red Dog) to be directed by Phil Alden Robinson (The Sum of All Fears).  The picture centers on the fallout after a stand-in doctor mistakenly tells an obnoxious patient that he has an hour-and-a-half left to live.  While the patient goes on a tirade in New York City, attempting to right all the wrongs in his life, the doctor tries in vain to track him down.  The high concept comedy stars Robin Williams, Mila Kunis and Peter Dinklage, and has also snared Melissa Leo and James Earl Jones.  The Angriest Man in Brooklyn is set to start filming this September in Brooklyn.  Hit the jump for more.