While everyone is currently hyped up for the return of HBO’s Game of Thrones, a little show called True Blood popped up to remind us that season five of the supernatural series starts this summer. We’ve previously brought you the first promotion and more recent teaser trailers from everyone’s favorite guilty pleasure, but now we have a teaser montage of clips from the upcoming season. With news that showrunner Alan Ball is overseeing this season but stepping down from the day-to-day responsibilities of the show for a possible sixth season, it will be interesting to see how this summer’s run turns out. Also, with new cast addition Christopher Meloni, the old gang of supes could be in for quite a shake up, but Christopher Heyerdahl steals the show with his chilling narration of the new season five promo. Hit the jump to check it out.

We’ve got a few movie casting notes for you today. Here they are at a glance:

• Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) and Catherine O’Hara (Home Alone) will star in writer/director Mark Palansky’s Rememory, in which Dinklage assists O’Hara in using her late husband’s invention to solve the mystery around his sudden death.
• Vinessa Shaw (3:10 to Yuma) is in talks to join Steven Soderbergh’s Bitter Pill. The project centers on a married doctor who is drawn into the life of an increasingly troubled patient who self-medicates to dull the anxiety related to the impending release of her husband from prison.
• Bridget Moynahan (I, Robot) joins the semi-autobiographical familial drama, Small Time, drawn from 24 co-creator Joel Surnow’s personal history.

Hit the jump for more on each project.

We’ve got a couple of casting stories to share with you this afternoon. First up, Precious director Lee Daniels continues to fill out the impressive cast for his passion project The Butler. The film tells the true story of Eugene Allen, a butler who served at the White House from 1952 to 1986. Daniels is casting a slew of stars to take small roles as the famous men and women who come through the White House over the years, and Variety reports that Jane Fonda will be taking on Nancy Reagan. Forest Whitaker is set as Allen, with Oprah Winfrey in talks to play Allen’s wife and David Oyelowo up for the role of Allen’s son.

Liam Neeson and John Cusack are apparently circling roles as Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon, respectively, and we also heard that Mila Kunis is eyeing the role of Jackie Kennedy. It’s an ambitious project, and one that’s sure to draw considerable awards buzz. I’m interested to see how Daniels pulls off the “revolving door” aspect without the cameos taking over control of the story. Daniels is directing from a script he co-wrote with Game Change writer Danny Strong. Hit the jump for casting news concerning the indie Small Time.

We’ve got a couple of casting stories to share with you today. First up, leaving Law & Order has turned Christopher Meloni into a very busy man. He stars in the upcoming season of True Blood, he landed a role in the new Superman pic Man of Steel, and now he’s set to star in the Jackie Robinson baseball drama 42. Variety reports that Meloni is in talks to play Leo Durocher, the manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, in the film that chronicles how Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey and Robinson worked together to eradicate segregation in baseball in 1947. Harrison Ford is onboard as Rickey, and newcomer Chadwick Boseman will play Robinson in the film written and to be directed by Brian Helgeland (L.A. Confidential).

Hit the jump for casting news concerning Michael Bay’s Pain and Gain.

Waiting sucks. So say the creative team behind HBO’s vampire/werewolf/faerie/witch melodrama, True Blood. This time around they’ve crafted a teaser that’s a bit more sinister as fans of the show’s previous seasons will appreciate. While the teaser doesn’t show any footage, it’s a nice reminder that summer is just around the bend and with it comes another season of True Blood. New episodes start June 24th.

The wait is a lot less longer for the second half of The Walking Dead’s second season. Although the episode “Nebraska” airs on February 12th, you can watch the first four minutes here. Hit the jump to check them both out.

It’s official; Christopher Meloni is coming back to HBO. Eight years after his stint on the cable channel’s first dramatic original series Oz, the Law and Order: SVU actor is headed to HBO’s True Blood. We previously reported that the actor was being courted to join season five of Alan Ball’s vampire-infused series, but TV Line now confirms that Meloni’s deal has closed. The actor is joining the cast as a series regular, and will play “An ancient, powerful vampire who holds the fate of Bill and Eric in his hands.”

True Blood has gotten increasingly batshit crazy, having crossed over fully into the soap opera realm long ago. After a lackluster third season, the show gained some steam (slightly) this past year with a few more interesting storylines. Season four ended with an intriguing tease for the upcoming season, and I’ve no doubt that Meloni will make for a much-welcomed addition. The actor recently filmed a role in Zack Snyder’s Superman reboot Man of Steel. The fifth season of True Blood is set to air next summer.

Last spring, fans of both Law & Order: SVU and Christopher Meloni took quite a blow as the actor suddenly left the long-running series. However, it doesn’t sound like he’ll be off the flickering box for too long as TV Line has word that Meloni is being courted to take a major role in the fifth season of True Blood on HBO. Not too many details are known about his character other than that Meloni will play an incredibly powerful vampire. Meloni has acting chops on both the dramatic and comedic side, so he can certainly be a bloodsucking force to reckon with, but hopefully with some villainous sarcasm and humor as well. It doesn’t sound like the casting is official yet, but this would be a great addition to the cast as the series seems to spiral a bit out of control.

Following his surprising exit from NBC’s Law and Order: SVU, Christopher Meloni just landed himself a not too shabby gig. Deadline reports that the actor is currently in negotiations to star in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel. There’s no word on what part he’s up for, but the report states that it’s a “major role” (one hopes it involves fridge-humping). Henry Cavill is set as Superman himself, while Amy Adams will take on Lois Lane. Warner Bros. rounded up some A-list talent for Superman’s parents: Kevin Costner and Diane Lane will play Clark Kent’s adoptive Earth parents, while Russell Crowe is poised to star as biological father Jor-El and Julia Ormond recently entered talks to play his Kryptonian mother Lara Lor-Van.

On the villain side, Michael Shannon will be doing his evil thing as General Zod and Antje Traue is set as Faora. Casting should be close to complete by now, with production set to begin next month in Vancouver. Snyder directs from a script by David Goyer, with Christopher Nolan producing. Man of Steel is eying a holiday 2012 release.

The hard-hitting and emotional NBC drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit has been known to have a great line-up of guest stars, and its Season 12 premiere is no exception. When a foster couple, played by Joan Cusack and Peter Strauss, call Detectives Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Eliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) to the scene of the crime when their 10-year-old adopted daughter disappears, it soon comes to light that she ran away to meet with a man named Erik Weber (Henry Ian Cusick), whom she met on the internet. Suspected of ulterior motives regarding the girl, Weber denies any wrongdoing, quickly becomes attracted to Detective Benson and even tries to help them out on a case.

To promote his guest-starring arc on the long-running series, Lost star Henry Ian Cusick talked about wanting to distance himself from Desmond, the challenges of playing this role and working with such a talented team of people. Check out what he had to say after the jump: