Some weekend casting news for you:

• Oscar Isaac (Drive) has landed the lead in Lincoln Lawyer director Brad Furman’s Pablo Escobar biopic.
• Glenn Close, Taryn Manning (Hustle & Flow) and Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers have been confirmed to join Low Down, a 1960s-set drama about a jazz musician (John Hawkes) struggling with addiction.
• Nicolas Cage will star in horror-thriller Hotel 33, based on a “real-life” mass-vanishing that took place at a Pennsylvania hotel.
• Timothy Olyphant looks set for the role of a border-town sheriff dealing with the aftermath of a cartel deal gone bad in Gonzalo López-Gallego’s crime thriller The Man on Carrion Road.

Hit the jump for more on each project.

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. 

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.

After pretty much everyone in KY figured out who Drew Thompson is last week, this episode saw folks on both sides of the law in a mad dash to get to him first.  “Get Drew” is a fitting title as the dragnet tightened and everyone from Raylan to our old friends from Noble’s Holler made their moves on KY’s most wanted.  The question now is who will make it out of Harlan alive?  More on this week’s Justified after the jump. 

More than his refined quick-draw and ability to pull off the hat, what makes Raylan such a grade-A marshal is that his roots run deep in Kentucky.  He was raised around these tumultuous folks – the Crowders, the Mosleys, the Bennetts, and his own flesh and blood, the Givens.  Whether he wants to admit it, Raylan is part of this world.  Like Hunter says to him, “we are who we are.”  This idea of carrying the sins of the father runs throughout “The Hatchet Tour,” one of the best episodes of an already great season.  Oh, and they revealed who Drew Thompson is.  More on this week’s Justified after the jump.

“Outlaw” had some huge moments in it for major and secondary characters alike.  Unfortunately, most of it felt rushed.  Justified has always done a bang-up job of juggling its many players, but sometimes too much gets packed into one hour and some of the impact can be lost and important junctures can get brushed aside.  Regardless, season four continues to be entertaining as hell.  More on this week’s Justified after the break.

Unless a character on Justified is killed there’s a good chance they’ll be popping up again.  Characters we don’t see for nearly entire seasons can resurface and no one feels like a secondary character.  “Money Trap” saw the return of the old sheriff, the fugitive from episode 1, and some local officials who put Boyd in his place.  Even Raylan’s quick draw also made an appearance!  It was one of the more exciting episodes of the season so far, but it also went to some dark places.  More on “Money Trap” after the jump.

There are a lot of folks missing in east Kentucky: Drew Thompson, Ellen May, and Josiah.  In the cleverly titled “Foot Chase” the sense of urgency to find these missing persons increased and connections between them were revealed.  We also got to spend some quality time with two of the show’s most interesting secondary characters: Tim and Colt.  By “quality time” I mean smoking heroin in bar restrooms and stripping in front of oxy dealers.  This is Justified after all.  More on “Foot Chase” after the jump.

Four episodes deep into season four of Justified and we finally got what we wanted: Raylan and Boyd in a room together.  It wasn’t under the best circumstances for either man, but satisfying nontheless.  “Kin” moved along the Drew Thompson plot, introduced a ruthless new Dixie mafia character, and made things a whole lot more complicated in the Crowder camp.  The show’s universe also expanded deep into the hills and in doing so, Raylan’s past.  More on this week’s Justified after the jump.

Based on the works of crime novelist Elmore Leonard and developed for television by showrunner Graham Yost, the FX drama series Justified is back for Season 4.  This time around, U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) will start to unravel the mystery of a more than 30-year-old cold case that connects back to his criminal father’s (Raymond J. Barry) bad dealings.  The show also stars Walton Goggins, Nick Searcy, Jacob Pitts, Erica Tazel and Joelle Carter.

During this recent interview to discuss what to expect from the show this season, actor/producer Timothy Olyphant talked about how involved he is in the development of each season, how much it means to him that they have Elmore Leonard’s approval, that Raylan is bound to cross paths with Boyd Crowder again, how each of these characters has their own moral code, what a joy it is to be able to deliver such great dialogue, what keeps Raylan from becoming as crooked as all the criminals in Harlan, what viewers can expect from the addition of Patton Oswalt this season, balancing the tone of the subject matter, and whether he’d ever consider directing an episode of the series.  Check out what he had to say after the jump, and be aware that there are some spoilers.

One of TV’s most badass and clever shows, Justified, returns with its fourth season on Tuesday, January 8.  This time around, Collider will be doing recaps each week, as well as some other fun Justified related stuff.  But before we return to the moral chaos of eastern Kentucky for season 4, let’s take a look at where the heroes and villains of Justified currently stand.

Season 2 set the bar incredibly high.  The arc of the Bennett clan and the coal mining industry added a lot of flavor and depth to the Justified universe.  Season 3 wasn’t as deep, but there sure as hell were a lot of twists, turns, and colorful new characters to fill any void left behind in the wake of apple pie moonshine.  The playing field expanded too, as we were introduced to Noble’s Holler and its seedy BBQ enthusiasts led by Mr. Ellstin Limehouse.   More after the jump.

Let’s get to a bit of casting news today:

• Dennis Haysbert (24) will join Sin City: A Dame to Kill For as a replacement for Michael Clarke Duncan, who sadly passed away this past September. The sequel, directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez, also stars Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Jaime King, Rosario Dawson and Jamie Chung. 
• Timothy Olyphant (Justified) will join the horror-Western Bone Tomahawk, the directorial debut of S. Craig Zahler that already stars Kurt Russell, Peter Sarsgaard, Richard Jenkins and Jennifer Carpenter.
• Sullivan Stapleton (Animal Kingdom) and Ryan Kwanten (True Blood) will join the Australian production of the thriller Cut Snake, also starring Rachael Taylor (Transformers).

Hit the jump for more on each picture.

Developed by Graham Yost and based on the works of crime novelist Elmore Leonard, the hit FX drama series Justified has proven itself to be one of the strongest written and best acted shows on television. One of the new additions for Season 3 has been actor Mykelti Williamson, as the mysterious Limehouse, a man who knows enough secrets to make almost everyone in Harlan uncomfortable.

During this recent interview about his role on the show, Mykelti Williamson talked about not knowing whether or not he’ll be returning next season, the fun of being kept in the dark about where things are going, what he thinks of his character, how much he enjoys watching the show as a viewer, his favorite scene in the finale, and that he keeps a character Bible of his own potential storylines that he hopes to suggest, should he return. Check out what he had to say after the jump.

While Fox may have gotten rid of Terra Nova to the chagrin of some sci-fi fans, the crime thriller fans should be pleased with the media giant as their cable channel FX has just renewed Justified for a fourth season. Six new episodes remain in the currently airing third season with the finale coming on April 10th, but the network already knows that it wants more of Timothy Olyphant as Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens.

Series creator Graham Yost says, “There are many reasons all of us on Justified are grateful to get a chance to do another season. We get to do more work with amazing actors, writers, producers, directors, musicians, editors and a jaw-droppingly talented crew.  We get to keep doing a show that appeals to a wide demographic: people in Harlan, retired US Marshals, criminals (we honestly did hear that), and, most happily, our guide, our muse, Elmore Leonard.  Best of all, we get to keep doing a show on FX (and while that may sound like craven ass-kissing, when you look at their roster, you can’t help but feel grateful to be on that list).” For the full press release including publicity fluff from the network and ratings, hit the jump.

It’s crazy to think that Walton Goggins and his racist character Boyd Crowder almost bit the dust at the end of the pilot for Justified, but after focus group tests showed the audience absolutely loved the character, he was made to stick around, and has lasted into the series’ third season. Now he’s featured alongside Emmy nominated star Timothy Olyphant with shotguns blazing in this brief teaser for the new season set to premiere in January. There’s not really any new footage from the series itself, but this teaser is still pretty kick-ass. Watch it after the jump.