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.

As the show started to putter out in the past few seasons, fans began to wonder when NBC’s The Office would be put to rest.  With Steve Carell gone, Rainn Wilson looking to his Dwight Schrute spinoff The Farm, and Mindy Kaling now starring in a Fox series of her own called The Mindy Project, things were looking rather thin going into the show’s ninth season.  Well, the time has finally come, as earlier today showrunner Greg Daniels announced, “this will be the last season of The Office.”  Hit the jump for more details, including the possibility of a return for Carell and Daniels’ promise that “all questions will be answered.”

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.

You’re driving down the street, and it’s suddenly blocked off.  You notice these weird yellow signs with nonsensical letters or numbers.  There’s unusual glow lighting up a neighborhood you can’t usually see from your house.  What you might have here is a film company shooting in your town.  It happens a lot, and you never know where they might pop up…until now.

The following is a semi-comprehensive list of films currently shooting, what they’re shooting, and where they’re shooting.  We’ll be telling you where you might get to see the very famous, the kinda famous and (if all goes well) the soon-to-be famous. While we can’t list every single movie, television show, or student film in production, you’ll get a pretty good idea of what the heck is going on where all those people are buzzing about.  Want to know where in the world are Matt Damon, Harrison Ford, Sylvester Stallone, Woody Harrelson, and Leonardo DiCaprio? Hit the jump for more.

Two on-the-bubble NBC shows have officially been given the order for new seasons.  The critical favorite yet ratings challenged drama Parenthood has been renewed for a 15-episode fourth season (per TV Line).  Showrunner Jason Katims is no stranger to ratings issues despite favorable reviews, as he led the stellar Friday Night Lights through five seasons of “will it be renewed?” drama.  I’m a fan of the ensemble and tone of Parenthood, but Katims will most likely have his hands full next season as his medical pilot County is said to be close to a pick up.  That show will star Jason Ritter, who led the doomed The Event and has been a frequent guest star on Parenthood.

Hit the jump for news regarding renewals for The Office and a final season for 30 Rock, as well as speculation about the fate of Community and Parks and Recreation. [Update: The Office hasn't officially been renewed yet, but with deals almost done for the main cast members a renewal is expected]

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.

Since Steve Carell left The Office, the happenings on the show have been anything but business as usual.  Robert California (James Spader) stopped by to run things for a time before leaving the Scranton branch in the capable, albeit self-conscious, hands of Andy Bernard (Ed Helms).  There has been recent talk of Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) leaving to retire to the beet farm bed-and-breakfast in a proposed spin-off.  That’s not to mention the expanding film careers of Jenna Fischer, John Krasinski and Craig Robinson, as well as Wilson and Helms.  As neither the cast members nor the show itself have been officially been confirmed to return, things are a bit up in the air at the moment.  Helms talked a bit about the future of  The Office in this recent interview with Steve.  Hit the jump for more on this possible series reboot.

It’s always a fun treat when a now-famous actor pops up in a small role in an older movie you haven’t re-watched in a while.  We previously posted a “Before They Were Famous” supercut, but now someone has edited together a montage of actors in their very first feature film roles. While you’re most likely aware of the majority of these appearances, I’m willing to bet you’ll find at least a few surprises in this video.  I had no idea Jon Hamm was in Clint Eastwood’s “old guys can be astronauts too” movie Space Cowboys, but I now feel compelled to move the pic to the top of my Netflix queue.

Watch Jack Nicholson, Woody Allen, Emma Thompson, Zach Braff and many more make their feature debut after the jump.

Like it does every year, Jimmy Kimmel Live followed the Oscars with a bit that packed in every Hollywood actor they could find.  This year, they poked fun at epic movies by creating Movie: The Movie and throwing in every genre possible.  Of course, the premise of trying to sell a movie by overloading it with famous faces is absolutely ridiculous.  Still, it’s an amusing way to try to start your Monday.

Hit the jump to check out the 9-minute trailer.  The fake film’s cast includes George Clooney, Charlize Theron, Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Alba, Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, and Bryan Cranston as the world’s unluckiest hot dog vendor. Movie: The Movie opens Thanksgiving, Christmas, and summer 2012.

It looks like the Gus Van Sant-directed drama starring Matt Damon and John Krasinski now has a title and a distributor. Known as Promised Land, Focus Features and Participant Media had the winning bid for the project co-written by the two stars. Although it was originally meant to be Damon’s directorial debut, scheduling conflicts prevented it. Promised Land stars Damon as a sales executive whose arrival in a small town turns his life upside down. Krasinski will play a rival corporate executive.

Also acquired today by Sony Pictures Classics was the Marion Cotillard-starrer Rust & Bone by director Jacques Audiard (A Prophet). The project is an adaptation from a book of shot stories by Craig Davidson. Hit the jump to check out more from both projects.

Big Miracle (opening in theaters on February 3^rd) is inspired by the incredible true story of a family of majestic gray whales trapped by rapidly forming ice in the Arctic Circle, and how an entire Alaskan community fought to save them, with the help of rival world superpowers. Animal lover and outspoken environmentalist Rachel Kramer (Drew Barrymore) is made aware of the harrowing situation when her small-town news reporter ex-boyfriend Adam Carlson (John Krasinski) makes a report that ends up going global. Soon, everyone from an oil tycoon to heads of state to ambitious journalists descend upon Barrow, Alaska, in order to unite and free the whales in time.

At the film’s press day, co-stars Drew Barrymore and John Krasinski talked about how unbelievable and impossible this moving true story seemed, reuniting with director Ken Kwapis, and what they loved about working with each other. Barrymore also talked about staying positive in a business that it’s so easy to become cynical in, while Krasinski talked about his desire to direct again and the currently untitled project he’s developing with Matt Damon, for Gus Van Sant to direct. Check out what they had to say after the jump.

Originally, Matt Damon was going to make his directorial debut with a script co-written by The Office star John Krasinski. Due to scheduling conflicts, the untitled project, described as being about a salesman who experiences life-changing events after arriving in a small town, is now being directed by Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting), with a projected April start date for shooting.

While at the press junket for Big Miracle, inspired by the incredible true story of rival world superpowers who came together to rescue a family of gray whales trapped by rapidly forming ice in the Arctic Circle and opening in theaters on February 3^rd, Krasinski talked about the journey the script has taken, why Matt Damon had to drop out as director, and how excited he is to have Gus Van Sant direct his first original script. Check out what he had to say after the jump, and check back for what he had to say about Big Miracle closer to the film’s release date.

We’ve got a couple updates on the latest projects from Oscar-winning screenwriting duo Ben Affleck and Matt Damon (yes, they act too). A few months ago Affleck was chosen by Warner Bros. to direct their big-budget adaptation of the Stephen King novel The Stand. While it’s been a while since we’ve heard any movement on the project, it now appears that Affleck has now set a screenwriter on the pic. After apparently wowing the studio with an adaptation of King’s It, David Kajganich (The Invasion) has been tapped to handle scripting duties. Hit the jump for much more, including news concerning the untitled drama that Damon was previously set to direct.