As co-executive producer/writer on the alien invasion drama Falling Skies, Mark Verheiden certainly has the sci-fi background and credibility to bring the highly-anticipated series to life, having served as a writer/co-executive producer for three seasons on Battlestar Galactica, a consulting producer/writer for Seasons 3 and 4 of Heroes, and a writer/co-executive producer for the first three seasons of Smallville, along with writing the feature film screenplays for Timecop and The Mask, and various graphic novels. Stepping in for Graham Yost, who had to return to the FX series Justified after the pilot had been shot, Verheiden used the great template that had been established and set out to continue from there, exploring a story about finding hope in the humanity within yourself, while recovering from this terrible event that has changed their lives and civilization forever.

At the press day for the new TV series, Collider sat down with Mark Verheiden for this interview, in which he talked about his vision for the show, intentionally layering Falling Skies in such a way that it can appeal to people who are not typically sci-fi fans while still making those fans happy, how the aliens’ plan will gradually be revealed over the course of the series, the challenge of giving it a feature film feel on a TV show budget, and how stories are already being figured out for a possible Season 2. And, even though he couldn’t say anything concrete about the status of The Dark Tower, for which he is working as a writer/producer on the TV portion of the project, he did comment on how cool it was, how huge the project is, and that he hopes it will eventually go into production. Check out what he had to say after the jump:

On the new alien drama Falling Skies, from DreamWorks Television and executive producer Steven Spielberg, actor Noah Wyle plays Tom Mason, a history professor who never imagined that he would one day be waging war against an occupying force from another world. With his wife now dead and his middle son Ben (Connor Jessup) captured by the alien invaders, it’s up to Tom to protect his oldest son Hal (Drew Roy) and his youngest son Matt (Maxim Knight), despite having only an academic understanding of military history. Even though Tom proves himself a strong leader, he is determined to find and rescue his son from captivity, no matter what it takes.

At a press day for the television series, Collider sat down with Noah Wyle for this exclusive interview, in which he talked about getting this series through his long-term relationship with TNT, the nearly 20 years he’s had the good fortune of working with Steven Spielberg, signing on for this role so that he could impress his 8-year-old son, doing a show of this type on a television budget, how pleased he was when he saw the look of the aliens, and how incredibly gratifying it is to have such support from the network, so early on. Check out what he had to say after the jump:

On TNT’s new alien drama Falling Skies, actress Moon Bloodgood plays Anne Glass, a pediatrician who lost her only child in the initial attack. The heart of the ensemble, Anne has yet to fully face her own tragedy because she is too busy helping those around her. She has bonded with Tom Mason (Noah Wyle), as a result of their losses, and keeps up a sturdy exterior, helping the survivors cope both physically and emotionally with their situation, but she is quite obviously haunted by the death of her son.

At a recent press day for the series, Collider sat down with Moon Bloodgood for this exclusive interview, in which she talked about how lucky she was not to have to audition for this role, how relieved she was not to be the action girl this time around, how she’s a big fan of the alien genre and used to even fall asleep watching Aliens as bedtime viewing, and how she doesn’t take anything for granted in this business, out of not wanting to feel the disappointment. Check out what she had to say after the jump:

Earlier this month, Adam brought you his thoughts on the Falling Skies footage that debuted at WonderCon. Today, you can check out some of the eerie footage for yourself in the form of a five-minute sneak peek. Executive produced by Steven Spielberg, Falling Skies stars Noah Wyle, Moon Bloodgood, Drew Roy, Will Patton, and Maxin Knight as a group of survivors following a deadly alien invasion. The series premieres on TNT on Sunday, June 19th at 9/8c. Hit the jump to check out the footage.

We just got an extended look at the anticipated TNT sci-fi drama Falling Skies from Steven Spielberg by way of a new featurette/trailer, and today the marketing machine keeps on running. Three brand new promo posters have just cropped up with some pretty cool imagery. One is reminiscent of one of the posters for District 9, another has a strange glowing spine, but my favorite has a great contrasting image of a child’s paper airplane with the invading alien ships and an ominous tagline.

Check out these cool posters and the series synopsis after the jump.

We’ve already seen a trailer and TV spot for TNT’s new sci-fi drama series Falling Skies which has a two-hour premiere Sunday, June 19, at 9/8c. Now the cable network has unveiled another extended look at the series with a cool trailer/featurettes which gives us a much better idea of the story and the characters we’ll be introduced to this summer. This is the most impressive look at the series yet, and I’m definitely eager to check it out in a few months.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer/featurette.

Programming for this year’s WonderCon has been announced.  This will be my first year attending WonderCon and Steve has informed me that it’s like Comic-Con except you can breathe.  While WonderCon may be the less-famous sibling to Comic-Con, it still has some big-name panels for fans.  This year, WonderCon is giving over the Esplanade Ballroom to some of the year’s biggest genre properties.  Leading the list of films is Warner Bros’ Green Lantern as well as Cowboys & Aliens, Super, The Three Musketeers, Hanna, Priest, and Immortals.  TV is also getting some attention with panels devoted to the new series Falling Skies, ThunderCats, and Terra Nova as well as Nikita, Doctor Who, Human Target, and V.  There will also be plenty of artists, writers, and other creative folks.

Hit the jump for the full schedule.  Wondercon 2011 runs from April 1 – 3rd at the Moscone Center South in San Francisco.

TNT has unveiled a new television spot for its alien invasion drama Falling Skies. Executive produced by Steven Spielberg, the series stars Noah Wyle as a former university professor and father who has taken up the leadership role in a resistance faction made up of soldiers and civilians alike. In addition to Wyle, Falling Skies also stars Moon Bloodgood, Drew Roy, Will Patton, and Drew Roy.

As you’ll be able to see throughout the promo, Falling Skies is set to premiere on TNT this June. While I can’t say I’m waiting on pins-and-needles for the series, Steven Weber’s line about how some of the survivors of the alien invasion’s “first wave” believe it is proof that they are “the best of mankind” has me interested in the human dynamic of the series. With this in mind, hit the jump to check out the new spot as well as each of the previous promos for the series.

TNT has debuted the first trailer for Falling Skies, an alien invasion drama executive produced by Steven Spielberg.  Noah Wyle (ER) stars as “a former college professor who becomes the leader of a group of soldiers and civilians struggling against an occupying alien force.”  Moon Bloodgood (Terminator Salvation), Drew Roy (Secretariat), Maxim Knight (Brothers & Sisters), and Seychelle Gabriel (The Last Airbender) also star.

My hope is that the Spielberg influence acts as a counterbalance to the potential limitations of a basic cable budget.  The trailer is encouraging in this respect, in that I see nothing hokey about what is presented.  Certainly nothing that my man Noah Wyle can’t overcome.  Judge for yourself after the jump.

In case you find it useful, here are links to the Collider take on anything and everything that went down at Comic-Con on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.  Here’s Thursday’s coverage…hit the jump for Friday and Saturday:

THURSDAY

• MEGAMIND Panel Featuring Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill and… Brad Pitt?
• TRON: LEGACY Panel
• Sony’s BATTLE: LOS ANGELES and SALT Panel
• Images and Info on the TRON: LEGACY Viral Event
• New RED Trailer Plus a Write Up of the RED Comic-Con Panel in Hall H
• The Visionaries – Joss Whedon and J.J. Abrams; Whedon Officially Directing THE AVENGERS
• Sly Stallone’s THE EXPENDABLES Panel
• CHILDRENS’ HOSPITAL Roundtable
• Filmmakers and Cast Debut Gruesome New Footage for PIRANHA 3D; Recap Along with Highlights From Q&A
• SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD Panel and Screening
• Will Ferrell & Tina Fey MEGAMIND Roundtable Interview
• BATTLE: LOS ANGELES Press Conference
• Disney Animators Panel on TANGLED
• SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD Press Line

Both MTV and TNT teased eager Comic-Con attendees with glimpses at new television programs Teen Wolf (MTV) and Falling Skies (TNT).  Ironically both panels were back to back and both either draw from familiar source material, Teen Wolf being a re-envisioning of the Michael J. Fox movie, and Falling Skies using themes akin to War of the Worlds and other comparable alien invasion epics. Did the sneak peeks serve anything fresh to audiences with their bite size snippets, or were they awkward rehashes of contrived stories? Hit the jump to find out.

We’ve spilled a lot of ink on Fox’s prehistoric drama Terra Nova, but that’s not the only Steven Spielberg-produced series with a sci-fi bent premiering in 2011.  Plus, TNT now has the jump on early looks, as the network released twenty new stills from the alien invasion drama Falling Skies.  Unfortunately, no extraterrestrials are pictured, but there’s plenty of gun totin’ and motorcycle ridin’ to tide over this red-blooded young male.

Stars Noah Wyle (ER) and Moon Bloodgood (Terminator: Salvation) as well as co-executive producer Mark Verheiden (Battlestar Galactica) will hold a Q&A panel session on July 23rd at Comic-Con.  Hit the jump for details, and check out the pics.