After an extended hiatus, the NBC drama series Revolution is back with more action, heightened emotion and even higher stakes.  At its heart, the story is about a family (both blood and otherwise) struggling to stay together in an American landscape where every single piece of technology – computers, planes, cars, phones and even lights – has mysteriously blacked out forever, or so they thought.  Having harnessed the power of the pendant, militia leader Monroe (David Lyons) sets out to obliterate the Rebels, and if they don’t do something fast, they won’t stand a chance.  From executive producers Eric Kripke, J.J. Abrams, Bryan Burk and Jon Favreau, the show also stars Billy Burke, Tracy Spiridakos, Giancarlo Esposito, Elizabeth Mitchell, Zak Orth, JD Pardo, Daniella Alonso and Tim Guinee.

While at WonderCon, actor Billy Burke spoke at a roundtable about the big reveal for why the power went out, how he had originally been hired to play Sebastian Monroe before being recast as Miles Matheson, Miles’ very messy love life, the evolution of the Miles-Charlie relationship, what piece of technology he couldn’t live without, and how the season finale will open up a completely different can of worms.  Check out what he had to say after the jump, and be aware that there are some spoilers.

We here at Collider are happy to debut the first trailer and poster for director Charles Matthau’s (The Grass Harp) adaptation of the Elmore Leonard novel Freaky Deaky.  The story centers on a former bomb squad officer (Billy Burke) who is transferred to the sex crimes unit where he gets suspended for investigating the rich, powerful and drunk Woody Ricks (Crispin Glover) after falling for a young woman (Sabina Gadecki).  He decides to enact revenge, but along the way stumbles upon an odd group of characters including a Black Panther (Michael Jai White) and an ex-fugitive (Breanne Racano) and her bombing partner (Christian Slater).

Hit the jump to watch the trailer and to check out the poster.  Freaky Deaky also stars Roger Bart and will be released on DVD on February 26th.

The Revolution (pilot) will not be televised…at least, not for another couple of weeks. But good news! NBC has already posted that pilot on Hulu for all the interweb to see. Produced by J.J. Abrams and Jon Favreau (who directed the pilot), and written by Supernatural creator Eric Kripke, the show tracks a group of people struggling to survive after a mysterious event robs the world of all its precious, precious electricity. Early reactions haven’t been overwhelmingly positive, but most agree that the pieces are in place for Revolution to grow into a worthwhile hour of television. And of course, it never pays to pass final judgement based on a pilot alone. Moreover, this one’s got another juicy villain turn from Breaking Bad’s Giancarlo Esposito, which is reason enough on its own to hit the jump and give it an hour of your time.

Hit the jump to watch the pilot.  Also, click here to read Brendan’s assessment of the pilot, which he took in at Comic-Con. NBC’s Revolution stars Tracy Spiridakos, Billy Burke, Graham Rogers, JD Pardo and Zak Orth. It premieres (televisionally-speaking) on September 17 at 10 pm.

Revolution is the latest big budget, sci-fi offering from the folks over at Bad Robot.  Produced by JJ Abrams, directed by Jon Favreau, and written by Supernatural creator Eric Kripke, the show has the potential to be the next big thing.  Taking place in a world where all forms of electricity have mysteriously shut off, the main action of the show occurs 15 years after the blackout, with flashbacks along the way revealing clues of the how and why.

The NBC pilot follows Charlie (Tracy Spirikados), a young woman in search of her brother after he is kidnapped by Captain Neville (Giancarlo Esposito) and his militia.  Despite the fact that the post-apocalyptic landscape looks distractingly clean, and the writers stumble over some of the world-building elements, the pilot showcases a strong cast of interesting characters and demonstrates a lot of potential.  We sat down with writer/producer Eric Kripke and cast members Tracy Spirikados, Giancarlo Esposito, Billy Burke, and JD Pardo to discuss their new characters, what drew them to the project, and what they would miss most in a world without electricity.  Hit the jump for highlights from the interviews and our full interview with Eric Kripke.

The first time I attended Comic-Con was the first time Twilight came to the massive geek gathering.  I can still hear the shrieks, probably because I was in Hall H for the franchise’s final installment, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2.  This year’s panel began on a somber note, and there was a brief moment of silence for the Twilight fan who died on Tuesday.  After the moment of silence, lead actors Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Taylor Lautner were brought to the stage and met with the cheers they’ve always received at Comic-Con.  The trio are joined by Mackenzie Foy, who plays Renesmee.  Author Stephanie Meyer then takes the stage, making this her first Hall H appearance since the first movie.  We then get a special video message from director Bill Condon, who’s currently in London working on the sound mix for Part 2.  He tells the audience that the best way to start this panel is to pick up where Breaking Dawn – Part 1 left off.  Hit the jump for my full recap of the panel.

The networks will be unveiling their fall schedules next week at the upfronts, but a few high-profile NBC pilots have already been picked up to series.  Briefly:

• The New Normal – Ryan Murphy’s blended comedy pilot centering on a same-sex couple and their surrogate.
• Revolution – The J.J. Abrams and Eric Kripke-produced action/drama takes place in a world where all forms of energy have mysteriously ceased to exist.
• Go On – Matthew Perry stars as a sportscaster trying to move on from a loss with the help of his fellow group therapy members.
• Save Me – Anne Heche plays a woman who, after letting herself go while in a broken marriage, goes through a transformation in which she becomes the best version of herself and creates miracles.

Hit the jump for more on each project.

Last month the developing NBC pilot Revolution from J.J. Abrams and his Bad Robot production banner landed one lead actor in the form of Breaking Bad villain Giancarlo Esposito, and now another actor has entered the mix as well. Deadline reports The Twilight Saga star Billy Burke has landed another lead role in the potential series as Miles, an amazingly resourceful man with dark and dangerous side. The pilot has already been in production and had even cast Burke in the supporting role of a charismatic Marine, but then producers decided they wanted Burke in a much more integral role with his former part currently being recast. For those just joining us, the series follows a group of people struggling to survive and reunite with loved ones in a world where all forms of energy have mysteriously ceased to exist.

I’m always surprised when I like anything Twilight-related.  I’ve written at length on how I find the subtext of the movies repulsive even though I can understand how the text can be enjoyed as shallow fantasy.  The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 even managed to wrap me up in that fantasy for the first half of the movie.  I’m not immune to big weddings and romantic honeymoons, and the first half is filled with happiness and humor.  Sadly, the second half of Breaking Dawn transforms into the mopey and idiotic drama I endured for the past three movies, but at least this time the series reached some glorious so-bad-it’s-good moments.

Summit has released a new featurette for The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1.  The featurette focuses on the wedding between Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson), and as Pattinson so eloquently puts it, “it’s a relatively momentous moment.”  I’m sure Twilight fans will fawn over the wedding scene, and I’m always a fan of seeing an 18-year-old marry a 500-year-old vampire.

Hit the jump to check out the featurette.  The film also stars Taylor Lautner, Billy Burke, Peter Facinelli, Elizabeth Reaser, Jackson Rathbone, Nikki Reed, Ashley Greene, and Kellan Lutz.  The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 opens November 18th.

There is an art to camp.  It’s not enough to simply have the director wink to the audience and say “Yeah, we know this is terrible, but we’re having dumb fun so laugh god-dammit.“  Just because you’re making something trashy, doesn’t mean you have the license to give up quality filmmaking.  Director Patrick Lussier understands the difference between trashy filmmaking and trashy fun and that’s the reason his film Drive Angry is such a delight.  The script is unapologetically dumb, everything is cranked up to 11, and while everyone is clearly having a good time, no one is slacking off.  That’s the art to Drive Angry and it’s why it will likely build a devoted cult following in the years to come.

The outrageous action-adventure flick Drive Angry arrives on DVD and Blu-ray in both 2D and 3D on May 31^st, with bonus content the includes audio commentary with director Patrick Lussier and writer/actor Todd Farmer, deleted scenes, “Milton’s Mayhem,” through which viewers can track the trail of carnage throughout the film, and an “Access: Drive Angry” special feature (exclusive to the Blu-ray release).

During a recent exclusive phone interview with Collider, Patrick Lussier talked about what fans will get to see on the DVD/Blu-ray, why he enjoys doing filmmaker commentaries, filming such epic car chases and fight sequences on a tight budget, and why bad-ass characters appeal to him. He also talked about how he and Todd Farmer are currently developing their take on Clive Barker’s Hellraiser for a remake, and said that they also hope to be able to do Halloween 3. Check out what he had to say after the jump.

There’s a strangeness that creeps along the edges of Catherine Hardwicke’s Red Riding Hood.  It’s a PG-13 teen soap opera that wants to sneak in some surprisingly R-rated content like cannibalism and torturing the mentally handicapped.  But what’s surprising and creative in the film is always smothered beneath convention, simplistic design, and insulting themes.  There are directors who could blend a classic fairy tale with a teen drama and a modern attitude, but Hardwicke is not one those directors.  Red Riding Hood feels unbalanced and its stranger elements never feel organically blended into the larger narrative.  The result is an off-putting affair that owes more to Twilight than it does to the Brothers Grimm.

Warner Bros. has sent over seven clips from director Catherine Hardwicke’s (Twilight, Thirteen) thriller Red Riding Hood. Amanda Seyfried (Letters to Juliet) stars as Valerie, a beautiful young woman torn between a brooding outsider (Shiloh Fernandez) and the wealthy man of her parents’ dreams (Max Irons).  Unfortunately, one of them may be the wolf that terrorizes her village.  (Such virility is a turn-on, but werewolves are notorious commitment-phobes.)  Gary Oldman, Billy Burke, Virginia Madsen, and Julie Christie also star.  Hit the jump for the full synopsis and clips:

I can’t watch the trailer for Red Riding Hood without laughing.  It looks like a parody of a real movie with its overly sinister take on the Red Riding Hood fairy tale.  I know the Brothers Grimm’s original tales were dark, but you’re not going to turn “My, what big eyes you have,” into a chilling piece of horror dialogue.  While the story may turn out to be a problem, cinematographer Mandy Walker has done a solid job capturing the gothic tone that director Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight) wanted to convey.

Hit the jump to check out 43 images from the movie.  Red Riding Hood stars Amanda Seyfried, Gary Oldman, Shiloh Fernandez, Billy Burke, Virginia Madsen, and Julie Christie.  It opens March 11th.

With Patrick Lussier’s (My Bloody Valentine 3D) revenge thriller Drive Angry 3D getting released tomorrow, I was able to interview most of the cast at yesterday’s press junket.  Since we’ve been covering the film since its inception, most of you know it’s about a felon (Nicolas Cage) who is chasing the people who killed his daughter (Billy Burke) and kidnapped her baby. The vendetta/rescue spins out of control and the chase gets bloodier by the mile, leaving bodies everywhere.  Also in the film are Amber Heard, David Morse and William Fichtner.

Anyway, during my interview with Burke, we talked about his unique look in the film (long hair, black nail polish), filming in 3D, the action scenes, what did he do while in filming in Louisiana, and he also gave me small updates on Red Riding Hood and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn.  Hit the jump to watch: