One of The CW’s most anticipated new series for the upcoming fall season is The Vampire Diaries’ spin-off The Originals.  The sexy drama, set in the city of New Orleans, will follow Original vampires Klaus (Joseph Morgan), Elijah (Daniel Gillies) and Rebekah (Claire Holt), who quickly find themselves in the middle of tensions between the town’s supernatural factions, which are nearing a breaking point as the city’s leader, Marcel (Charles Michael Davis), commands his devoted followers and rules with absolute power.  The show also stars Phoebe Tonkin, Daniella Pineda, Leah Pipes and Danielle Campbell.

During this recent exclusive phone interview with Collider, actor Daniel Gillies talked about how much fun he’s had on The Vampire Diaries, how he felt about Elijah’s relationship with Katherine (Nina Dobrev), the experience of shooting the backdoor pilot for The Originals in New Orleans, that the series itself will shoot primarily in Atlanta (where The Vampire Diaries is shot), and that he’s hoping for possible cross-over episodes between the two shows.  He also talked about the challenging experience of making his directorial debut, Broken Kingdom, which you can now view on Showtime, along with the documentary about his journey with the film, Kingdom Come.  Check out what he had to say after the jump, and be aware that there are some spoilers.

The indie thriller Black Rock tells the story of three young women – Sarah (Kate Bosworth), Abby (Katie Aselton, who also directed the film from a script by her husband, Mark Duplass) and Lou (Lake Bell) – who decide to renew their bond by revisiting a moment from their childhood and returning to an empty island off the coast of Maine.  Once there, they realize they are not alone when they encounter three recently returned servicemen who have come to the island to hunt, and things quickly get out of hand, leaving the women to fight for their lives.

At the film’s press day, actress/director Katie Aselton and actress Lake Bell talked about surviving the challenging shoot, the crazy weather, being game for anything, having no trailers or bathrooms on set, what they did to unwind, and wanting to do lighter fare once the film was finished.  Bell also spoke about the experience of directing her own first full-length feature In a World….  Check out what they had to say after the jump.

With Star Trek Into Darkness opening soon around the world, our partners at Omelete recently sat down with director J.J. Abrams.  During the interview, they talked about what Star Trek mean to him, where he thinks Star Trek should go next and what he’s accomplished, and more.  In addition, with Abrams preparing to direct the next Star Wars movie, he talked about who shot first, his feelings on the Star Wars prequels, and what’s his favorite Star Wars movie.  Hit the jump to watch.

Star Trek Into Darkness  stars Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Anton Yelchin, John Cho, Bruce Greenwood, Peter Weller, and Alice Eve.  The film is now playing in IMAX 3D and in 2D and 3D on May 17th.

With Star Trek Into Darkness opening around the world, I recently landed an exclusive interview with Simon Pegg.  While we’d planned for an in-depth video interview in Los Angeles, his busy shooting schedule for his next movie turned our interview into an email exchange.  Since we covered so many different subjects, I’m breaking it up into two or three parts, and we’re starting with Trek.

During our interview, Pegg talked about finally being able to speak openly about the sequel, if he felt any additional pressure playing Scotty in the sequel, his preparation process, what it was like working on the huge practical sets, filming the bridge scenes first, lens flares, what he took home from set, who broke character the most on camera, what he remembers most about making both films, voicing the video game, deleted scenes, Trek 3, and more.  Finally, Pegg sent over a video he made on set with Zoe Saldana and Anton Yelchin using the Bad Robot’s Action Movie app.  You can watch it when he brings it up during the interview.  Hit the jump for what he had to say.

The A&E drama series Bates Motel is currently wrapping up its first season and has already been picked up for Season 2.  To celebrate the show’s success, the Paley Center held a panel called Bates Motel: Reimagining a Cinema Icon, and Collider was there to cover and attend the event.  From executive producers Carlton Cuse (Lost) and Kerry Ehrin (Friday Night Lights), the show is a contemporary prequel that gives an intimate portrayal of how Norman Bates’ (unsettlingly portrayed by Freddie Highmore) psyche unravels through his teenage years and just how deeply intricate his relationship with his mother, Norma (in an awards worthy performance by Vera Farmiga), truly is.

During the panel, Carlton Cuse and Kerry Ehrin, along with Freddie Highmore and Vera Farmiga, talked about the challenges of pulling this show off, what makes the relationship between Norman and Norma Bates so compelling to watch, what the actors bring to their characters, learning more about Norma’s backstory and what made her the way she is, how exhausting it is to write for crazy people, what they look for in directors, and the ideal plan for how long the show will run.  Check out what they had to say after the jump, and be aware that there are some spoilers.

Ray Stevenson is a great actor.  So, when I heard that he would be playing the villain on Season 7 of the Showtime drama series Dexter, I was very intrigued, and he definitely didn’t disappoint.  As Isaak Sirko, the ruthless leader of the Koshka Brotherhood, Stevenson gave a complex and layered performance of a character where there was certainly more than meets the eye.

During this recent exclusive interview with Collider, actor Ray Stevenson talked about how he came to be a part of Dexter, how he wished his character could have gotten Dexter (Michael C. Hall) on a kill table, that he loved working with such a great cast and crew, what it was like to work on such a secretive show, and just how much more villainous a stone cold killer can get when you break his heart.  He also talked about being a part of the Marvel universe as Volstagg in the Thor films and the challenges of wearing such an extensive fat suit, as well as what appealed to him about Divergent, in which he’s playing Marcus.  Check out what he had to say after the jump, and be aware that there are some spoilers.

While everyone associates Bad Robot with J.J. Abrams, he actually has a producing partner that rarely does press and usually stays out of the limelight: Bryan Burk.  If you look over his IMDb profile, you’ll see he’s tremendously involved in all Bad Robot productions and was a key component in both Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness.

With the movie getting ready to premiere around the world, I recently landed an exclusive interview with the busy producer.  During our wide-ranging interview, we talked about making the sequel, the editing process, the secrecy, the title, if we’ll get Star Trek 3 in less than four years, whether a new Star Trek TV show could happen in the near future, and more.  We also talked about other Bad Robot productions like Star Wars, Mission: Impossible 5, Infinitely Polar Bear,  Person of Interest, Revolution, Alfonso Cuaron‘s pilot Believe, Karl Urban‘s pilot Almost Human, and more.  Hit the jump for what he had to say.

Mickey Sumner shines in a fantastic supporting role playing Sophie, the lifelong best friend of Greta Gerwig’s titular heroine, in Frances Ha, co-written by Gerwig and director Noah Baumbach.  Shot in black and white against the backdrop of New York City, this modern comic fable about the 20-something generation explores love, friendship, self-doubt, and finding your way in life.  Sumner and Gerwig’s natural on-screen chemistry makes their characters funny and relatable and fuels some of the film’s most insightful and best comedic moments.

I recently landed an exclusive interview with Sumner who talked to me about the liberating experience of playing a role without a script, how she identified with her character, working with an amazing cast, Baumbach’s directing style, her reaction to seeing the film premiere at Telluride, why she loves being in front of the camera, and what she learned interning during summer holidays with her godmother, costumer designer Colleen Atwood, on the sets of Beloved and Planet of the Apes.  The daughter of Sting and Trudie Styler, Sumner also discussed landing her first serious acting role in The Borgias, playing out her rock star fantasy as Patti Smith in CBGB, and her new romantic comedy, Misconnections.  Hit the jump to read more.

From filmmaker/actress Sarah Polley, Stories We Tell investigates the search for truth, as told by a family of storytellers who paint a portrait of a complicated but deeply loving family.  As each interview subject relates their version of the family mythology, they attempt to uncover the secrets of their mother, who departed too soon and with too many unanswered questions.

At the film’s press day, Sarah Polley talked about the value in getting this narrative out to audiences, what was most important for her to get right with this story, what the film did for her personally and how she felt when it was complete, whether everything in the film is factual, how she wanted to account for her own voice as the filmmaker, and the process of taking breaks in shooting to edit the material she already had.  Check out what she had to say after the jump, and be aware that there are some spoilers.

Last week, Collider (along with a handful of other outlets) was invited to hang out at the L.A. offices of DC Entertainment and chat with comic book legend Grant Morrison.  Known for pushing boundaries, exploring the unknown, and redefining legendary heroes and concepts for classic and new audiences, the Scottish-born writer talked about why he loves writing for Batman and Superman, and the new books he’s working on for Wonder Woman and the universe-hopping Multiversity.

Grant Morrison also spoke to Collider for a few minutes about what it’s like to be a rock star of the comic book world, meeting one of the actors who’s played a character that he’s written for, the first comic book he ever read, and when he realized he could make a career out of writing comics.  Check out what he had to say after the jump.

With J.J. Abrams Star Trek Into Darkness opening soon around the world, we recently landed an exclusive phone interview with Zoe Saldana.  During the interview, she talked about making the sequel, how nice it is to finally be able to talk about it, whether Klingon or Na’vi is more difficult to master, filming the bridge scenes first, who the biggest joker on set is and who tries hardest to make the cast break on camera, script changes, and so much more.  We also talked about Nina, Out of the Furnace, Guardians of the Galaxy, and more.  Hit the jump for what she had to say.

Star Trek Into Darkness also stars Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Anton Yelchin, John Cho, Bruce Greenwood, Peter Weller, and Alice Eve.  The film opens in IMAX 3D on May 15th and in 2D and 3D on May 17th.

After releasing its new primetime schedule, Kevin Reilly, Chairman of Entertainment at Fox Broadcasting Company, held a conference call to talk about some of the changes and additions that were made.  Even though a number of new drama series and comedies were announced, most of the attention seems to be focused on the return of 24, likely to return in May as a compressed 12-episode run that, if successful, could become a more regular event on the network.

During the interview, Reilly also talked about how they’re going to approach their comedy block this year, why New Girl gets the post-Super Bowl slot, and where Gleewill be heading in the next two seasons.  Check out what he had to say after the jump.

One of the best written and best acted dramas currently on network (or any) television is Hannibal, from show creator Bryan Fuller.  Based on the characters from Thomas Harris’ classic novels, the series follows the unsettling relationship between psychiatrist-turned-serial-killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) and gifted criminal profiler Will Graham (Hugh Dancy).

During this recent exclusive interview with Collider, executive producer/writer Bryan Fuller talked about how the series came about, how he gauges the level of violence on the show, how he ended up with Dancy, Mikkelsen and Laurence Fishburne as his lead actors, how fascinating the character relationships are, that knowing the eventual destination of these characters is a huge gift, when Hannibal Lecter’s famous face mask could appear, how the Red Dragon story would come into play in Season 4, adding some female characters to the mix, how they decide what meals Dr. Lecter will prepare and serve, future romantic relationships for the serial killer, and what Gillian Anderson brings to the show.  He also talked about the possibility of a Kickstarter campaign for a Pushing Daisies movie.  Check out what he had to say after the jump, and be aware that there are some spoilers.

Filmmaker and Academy Award nominee Noah Baumbach’s charming and quirky dramatic comedy, Frances Ha, is a modern comic fable that examines the human condition and explores New York, friendship, ambition, failure and redemption.  Greta Gerwig, who co-wrote the screenplay with Baumbach and starred earlier in Baumbach’s Greenberg, plays the title role.  Opening May 17^th, the film was shot on location in New York City and features a terrific cast of up-and-coming actors that include Mickey Sumner, Adam Driver, Michael Zegen and Patrick Heusinger.

In an exclusive interview, Baumbach talked about how the finished film compared to his original vision, what fuels his creative collaboration with Gerwig, writing a story populated by intelligent, funny and relatable characters, what his casting choices brought to the film, why he is drawn to Gotham, the challenges of filming in NYC, why he decided to shoot in black and white, and how he used music to elevate and expand the movie.  He also discussed his upcoming projects including reteaming with Gerwig on a new film set in New York City, an animated feature in development at DreamWorks, directing the Ben Stiller drama While We’re Young, and adapting The Emperor’s Children for Ron Howard and Brian Grazer.  Hit the jump for the interview.

The Tyler Perry name-brand provokes an impulsive knee jerk response. Either you’re on the bandwagon or you’re vehemently against. This Friday’s Peeples presents quite the conundrum for the Perry-less faction of viewers. While the film sports Perry’s name on the one sheet, the man didn’t direct the film instead serving as producer. The credit here belongs to Tina Gordon Chism, the writer behind the much-better-than they-ought to-be Drumline and ATL. Peeples – her first stab as writer/director – is no exception to this norm. I’ll admit a certain amount of trepidation before the lights dimmed; but within the first reel, I was quickly won over by the film’s quick and gentle wit.

Much of the film’s merit can be laid onto its game cast – in particular David Alan Grier (In Living Color)and S. Epatha Merkerson (Law & Order) as the patri/matri-arch to potential son-in-law Craig Robinson. In the following interview with the duo, Merkerson and Grier talk acting opposite film-legends Melvin Van Peebles and Diahann Carroll and reveal the art in using comedy to deal with serious subject matters. In addition Grier discussed the planned reboot of the classic sketch-comedy In Living Color and why ultimately it failed. For the full interview, hit the jump.