Focus Features has released seven new character images from director Gus Van Sant’s upcoming drama Promised Land.  The film stars Matt Damon and Frances McDormand as corporate salesmen who try to prey on an economic town in decline only to have their mission complicated by the citizens they encounter, particularly a character played by John Krasinski.  Damon and Krasinski wrote the screenplay, and the film deals heavily with the consequences of fracking.  These new images introduce the many characters that inhabit this Frank Capra-esque story.

Hit the jump to check out the images, and click here to watch the trailer.  The film also stars Rosemarie DeWitt, Hal Holbrook, Scoot McNairy, and Titus Welliver.  Promised Land opens in limited release on December 28th before expanding in January.

The Sundance Film Festival recently announced the first round of programming, and we have the first images from a few of the movies playing in the U.S. Dramatic Competition:

• Mother of George - Directed by Andrew Dosunmu, starring Isaach De Bankolé, Danai Gurira, Anthony Okungbowa, Yaya Alafia, and Bukky Ajayi.
• The Lifeguard - Written and directed by Liz W. Garcia, starring Kristen Bell, Mamie Gummer, Martin Starr, Alex Shaffer, Amy Madigan, and David Lambert.
• The Spectacular Now - Directed by James Ponsoldt, starring Miles Teller, Shailene Woodley, Brie Larson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Kyle Chandler.
• Touchy Feely - Written and directed by Lynn Shelton, starring Rosemarie DeWitt, Allison Janney, Ron Livingston, Scoot McNairy, Ellen Page, and Josh Pais.

Hit the jump for the images and synopses.  The 2013 Sundance Film Festival runs January 17-27.

The nominations for the 2013 Independent Spirit Awards have been announced, and Oscar hopefuls Silver Linings Playbook and Moonrise Kingdom lead the pack.  Both films picked up nominations for Best Feature, Director, and Screenplay with Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper landing acting noms for SLP and Bruce Willis garnering a swell Best Supporting Actor nomination for his work in Moonrise Kingdom.  Beasts of the Southern Wild, Bernie, and Keep the Lights On round out the Best Feature nominees, while The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Safety Not Guaranteed were singled out for the Best First Feature award.  Also, Matthew McConaughey pulled double nominations for his stellar work in this year’s Magic Mike and Killer Joe, landing a Best Supporting Actor and Best Actor nod, respectively.  Notably shut out of the race entirely was Leos Carax‘s critically-lauded Holy Motors.

Hit the jump to check out the full list of nominations.  The winners of the 2013 Spirit Awards will be announced on Saturday, February 23, 2013.

Focus Features has released a batch of new images from director Gus Van Sant’s upcoming drama Promised Land.  The pic was written by Matt Damon and John Krasinski and was originally set to mark Damon’s directorial debut, but scheduling issues forced him to step down and subsequently rope in his Good Will Hunting director Van Sant to take the helm.  Damon and Frances McDormand star as corporate salesmen who try to prey on an economic town in decline only to have their mission complicated by the citizens they encounter, particularly a character played by Krasinski.  The story deals with the consequences of fracking but also looks to have a strong, character-centric bent as well, so I’m eager to see how the political issues are balanced with the story elements.

Hit the jump to check out the new images along with the film’s first trailer in case you missed it.  The film also stars Rosemarie DeWitt, Hal Holbrook, Scoot McNairy, and Titus Welliver.  Promised Land opens in limited release on December 28th before expanding in January.

We’ve got a couple of TV news-related bits to share this afternoon.  First up, as production on the second season of Aaron Sorkin’s HBO series The Newsroom gears up, two welcome cast additions have been announced.  THR reports that Patton Oswalt and Rosemarie DeWitt (Mad Men) have been set in recurring roles for the show’s second season.  Oswalt wil be playing the new VP of Human Resources at the cable network Atlantic Cable News, while DeWitt is set as a litigator who is brought in to defend the network in a wrongful-termination lawsuit.

Hit the jump for more, including a new trailer and poster for the promising new Kevin Bacon-fronted Fox series The Following.

A couple new clips to share with you this evening:

• Stephen Fung’s Tai Chi Zero, a mash-up of steam-punk and kung-fu, stars Yuan Xiaochao, Angelababy, Tony Leung, Ka Fai and Shu Qi.  Tai Chi Zero opens stateside in limited release on October 19th.  Check out the trailer if you missed it earlier.
• Co-written by Lena Dunham (Girls) and director Ry Russo-Young (You Won’t Miss Me) comes Nobody Walks, starring John Krasinski, Olivia Thirlby, Jane Levy and Rosemarie DeWitt. Nobody Walks also opens October 19th.

Hit the jump to check out the clips. 

Justin Kirkhas earned high praise for his roles on television, in film and on stage.  In Ry Russo-Young’s ensemble drama, Nobody Walks, about a young New York artist (Olivia Thirlby) who moves to Los Angeles and becomes a catalyst for lust, denial and deception, Kirk plays a screenwriter in therapy that’s used to talking his way into anything.  His therapist (Rosemarie DeWitt) finds herself fending off her patient’s projective impulses as her once idyllic existence starts to unravel.

During our roundtable interview, Kirk talked about why it’s fun to portray a well-drawn character that behaves like a cad, why he only lasted a few months the first time he tried therapy, how he enjoyed working opposite DeWitt, why TV is good training ground for the movies, and why he wouldn’t mind making a multi-million dollar movie if the opportunity arose.  He also discussed finishing Weeds, his new television series Animal Practice, and  co-starring with Michael Caine in the upcoming feature film, Mr. Morgan’s Last Love. Hit the jump for the interview.

Olivia Thirlby plays a young New York artist who comes to Los Angeles to complete her experimental film in Nobody Walks.  Soon after her arrival, personal connections begin to veer away from professional terrain and everyone is forced to confront the new landscape that emerges in her wake.  The ensemble drama, which opens in theaters on October 19^th, also stars John Krasinski and Rosemarie DeWitt.

During my roundtable interview with Thirlby, she discussed her character, what drew her to the script by Lena Dunham and director Ry Russo-Young, how sexual energy and sexual expression are big themes of the film, and why one of the film’s strengths is that it doesn’t offer the audience any clear cut notions on who’s right or who’s wrong.  Thirlby, who shot Nobody Walks immediately after the action-packed Dredd 3D, also revealed how her appearance changed for the role of Martine, why she enjoyed playing a bad-ass in Dredd, and why she’s a big fan of Girls.  Hit the jump to read more.

The first trailer for director Gus Van Sant’s Promised Land has been released.  Matt Damon and John Krasinski wrote the script and star in the film, which was originally set to mark Damon’s directorial debut before scheduling issues forced him to call in his Good Will Hunting buddy Van Sant to step in.  Damon and Frances McDormand play corporate salesmen who try to prey on an economic town in decline only to have their mission complicated by the citizens they encounter.  The pic has been a big question mark in the Awards race, and things aren’t much clearer after seeing this trailer.  There’s definitely potential for a heartwarming and relevant story to be told, but it also looks like the fracking argument—though valid—could come across as too preachy.  The character-centric story is definitely appealing, and given Damon’s ridiculous talent and the crazy-good ensemble cast, I’m inclined to believe that the full film will deliver the goods.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  The film also stars Rosemarie DeWitt, Hal Holbrook, Scoot McNairy, and Titus Welliver.  Promised Land opens in limited release on December 28th before expanding in January.

Let’s take a look at a year in the life of composer Danny Elfman: he’s already crafted scores for Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows and Frankenweenie, plus another for Men In Black 3.  He has David O. Russell’s upcoming Silver Linings Playbook, plus Fox’s animated pic Epic and a reunion with Sam Raimi for Oz The Great and Powerful.  So, what the hell, let’s add two more on the list!  Reports have Elfman attached to compose the scores for director Gus Van Sant’s Promised Land as well as Sacha Gervasi’s biopic, Hitchcock.  Hit the jump for more on both projects.

The first trailer and poster have gone online for Nobody Walks, a drama starring John Krasinski, Rosemarie DeWitt and Olivia Thirlby.  From director Ry Russo-Young (You Won’t Miss Me), who co-wrote the picture with Lena Dunham (Girls), Nobody Walks centers on Martine (Thirlby), a young New York artist who moves to LA and stays with a local family while completing her art film.  What first appears as an idyllic and happy family soon begins to unravel after Martine’s arrival.  The trailer does a nice job at building tension and interest while separating itself from similar fare by what looks to be wide-ranging performances from the principal actors.  Hit the jump to check out the first trailer and poster for Nobody Walks.

“Let’s keep it 1950s, kids,” Vince Vaughn‘s character says to his teenage daughter and her prom date in Akiva Schaffer‘s The Watch.  That sentiment could be applied to the film’s cherished values, and the characters’ drive to protect the most boring of places: the suburbs.  The suburbs are where white flew after African-Americans began moving into the cities, and now it’s a safe haven where nothing happens or will ever happen.  The paradox of The Watch is in seeing the heroes (played by Vaughn, Ben Stiller, Jonah Hill, and Richard Ayoade) go on a comic adventure to keep the status quo.  But in the dull trappings of Schaffer’s bland direction, Stiller’s killjoy character, and Ayoade’s wasted talented, there’s no comedy or thrills to be found.  It’s a movie where rocking the suburbs won’t wake the neighbors, and only the chemistry between Vaughn and Hill provides any levity to the tame R-rated comedy.

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.

The first trailer for Your Sister’s Sister has gone online.  The film stars Mark Duplass as a man still mourning his brother’s death who retreats to a cabin on Puget Sound at the behest of his best friend (Emily Blunt).  When he finds Blunt’s sister (Rosemarie Dewitt) at the cabin, the two sleep together after a tequila fueled night, only to wake up and find that Blunt has decided to join them at the cabin.  Though the premise could easily devolve into a by-the-numbers romantic comedy, director Lynn Shelton looks to have crafted a thoughtful drama that plays out the scenario in the most human, and realistic, of fashions.  I’m a big fan of the cast here, and Matt enjoyed the film at Sundance, so I’m looking forward to checking it out.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  The film opens on June 15th.  If you missed them, you can also check out Steve’s interviews with Duplass and Dewitt at Sundance.

The previously untitled project written by Matt Damon, John Krasinski and Dave Eggers that was set to be Damon’s directorial debut now has a female lead. Deadline reports that Rosemarie DeWitt (Mad Men) will star in Promised Land. The Capraesque film pits Damon and Krasinski as rival corporate executives, with Damon’s character arriving in a small town only to have his whole life called into question. The supremely talented actor was poised to make the film his directorial debut, but was forced to scale back to only a starring role when schedule conflicts prevented him from devoting a considerable amount of time to pre-production work. Damon’s Good Will Hunting director Gus Van Sant promptly signed on to helm Promised Land, and production is now poised to begin next month.

DeWitt is probably best known for her multi-season arc on AMC’s Mad Men (she’s one of the first people we met in the pilot), but she’s poised to break big very soon. She had a impressive turns in United States of Tara and Ben Affleck’s The Company Men, and she stars in this summer’s comedy Neighborhood Watch alongside Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn and Jonah Hill.