Last summer, Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof talked about his collaboration with Tom Perrotta (Election) in adapting Perrotta’s 2011 post-Rapture novel The Leftovers for HBO, which the premium network picked up in February.  It was announced today (via Production Weekly) that Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights, Hancock, Battleship) is now on board to direct the pilot, continuing a trend of movie directors making a move to the small screen.  Filming will take place in New York and should start in mid-June, so expect a 2014 premiere date should HBO pick the pilot up to series.

The Leftovers marks Lindelof’s first return to television since the end of Lost (however you feel about that), but as has been pointed out, him being so in demand for big-screen projects may see him reduce his involvement with the series a tad, although he did co-write the Leftovers pilot with Perrotta and appears to be on-track to serve as showrunner.  Hit the jump for more on The Leftovers.

Last June, Damon Lindelof talked about his TV adaptation Tom Perrotta‘s novel, The Leftovers.  The series would be Lindelof’s first since Lost, and takes place after the “Sudden Departure”, and is about the people who didn’t make the cut.  Unlike the Left Behind series, The Leftovers appears to focus more on the practical aspects of a Rapture-like event rather than using it as a gateway for a biblically-influence story.  According to Vulture, HBO has ordered a pilot for the series, which will take place three years after the departure.  We reported that Lindelof would serve as the showrunner, but since his screenwriter career for feature films seems to have blossomed, I’m not sure if he’ll return to TV on a permanent basis.  In any event, he’ll still serve as executive producer alongside Perrotta, Ron Yerxa, and Albert Berger.  If HBO orders a series, don’t expect to see it until 2014.

Hit the jump for a synopsis of Perrotta’s novel.

Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof is joining forces with Election author Tom Perrotta to create a drama series for HBO based on Perotta’s 2011 book The Leftovers.  The project will be Lindelof’s first return to a television project since leaving Lost‘s Island two years ago (leaving fans with plenty of strong emotions about the show’s finale), and is part of a recently signed three-year deal with Warner Bros TV.  Lindelof and Perotta will write the new series together.

The Leftovers takes place after the Rapture, but is about the people who didn’t make the cut.  In addition to co-writing the series, Perotta and Lindelof will also serve as executive producers, along with Ron Yerxa and Albert Berger.  If the series moves forward (it’s currently in development) then Lindelof will also serve as showrunner.  Hit the jump for what Lindelof has to say about the book, how the series might differ, and why he’s not interested in doing another show with “wackadoo mythology” (that was my favorite part, Damon).

We have a couple casting news stories in one handy article for your viewing pleasure.  First up, Production Weekly reports [via The Playlist] that Little Miss Sunshine directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris may finally be moving forward with The Abstinence Teacher and that Steve Carell and Sandra Bullock are attached to lead.  The movie is based off Tom Perrotta’s sex-ed novel of the same name and “revolves around a divorced sex education teacher in middle America who is at odds with the town’s more conservative groups. At the same time, she finds herself falling for her daughter’s born-again soccer coach.”  Perrotta is still attached to write the script.  However, Dayton and Faris, while still on board to direct, are currently at work on the comedy Will, which was written by Demetri Martin, stars Zach Galifianakis and Paul Rudd, and is being produced by Adam McKay and Will Ferrell.

Hit the jump for casting news regarding Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, James McAvoy, and Natalie Portman in Tom Tykwer’s Cloud Atlas.