The NBC drama series Revolution tells the story of a family that struggles to reunite in an American landscape where every single piece of technology — computers, planes, cars, phones and even lights — has mysteriously blacked out forever.  The show is centered around one strong-willed young woman, Charlie Matheson (Tracy Spiridakos), whose brother is kidnapped by militia leaders, forcing her to reconnect with her estranged uncle Miles (Billy Burke), in order to rescue Danny (Graham Rogers), overthrow the militia and ultimately re-establish the United States of America, all while they explore the enduring mystery of why the power failed and if it will ever return.

During this recent interview to update where things are headed with the show, creator/writer/executive producer Eric Kripke (Supernatural) talked about why the blackout happened the way it did, explaining the cause of the blackout before the end of Season 1, revealing the backstory for Captain Tom Neville (Giancarlo Esposito), how long the quest to find Danny will last, how hard things will get for Charlie, learning more about the motivations of both Miles and Rachel (Elizabeth Mitchell), and how likely something like this is to happen, in the real world.  Check out what he had to say after the jump, and be aware that there are some spoilers. 

The NBC drama series Revolution, premiering on September 17^th, tells the story of a family that struggles to reunite in an American landscape where every single piece of technology — computers, planes, cars, phones and even lights — has mysteriously blacked out forever.  The show is centered around one strong-willed young woman, Charlie Matheson (Tracy Spiridakos), whose brother is kidnapped by militia leaders, forcing her to reconnect with her estranged uncle (Billy Burke), in order to rescue Danny (Graham Rogers), overthrow the militia and ultimately re-establish the United States of America, all while they explore the enduring mystery of why the power failed and if it will ever return.

During this recent exclusive interview with Collider, show creator/writer/executive producer Eric Kripke (Supernatural) talked about how the idea for the show started, how both J.J. Abrams (as executive producer) and Jon Favreau (as the pilot’s director) got involved, wanting to tell a character-driven adventure tale, how Revolution will have a slightly different and less snarky tone than Supernatural, his decision to immediately address the fact that the lack of electricity is not quite what it initially seems, the challenges of going from doing a show with two main characters to doing a show with a large ensemble cast, and how he already has a really solid idea about what Season 2 is, as well as possible notions for Season 3.  Check out what he had to say after the jump.

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.

Music is an incredibly important factor in film and television.  That goes without saying, really, but discussions of music in depth and detail with the composers and collaborators that produce the music are rarely done.  That’s why Room 5AB was a treat last night, as composer Blake Neely and executive producer Marc Guggenheim (Arrow), composer Chris Lennertz and showrunner Eric Kripke (Revolution, Supernatural), composer Joseph Trapanese and showrunner Charlie Bean (TRON: Uprising), and composer Nathan Johnson and director Rian Johnson (Looper) joined moderators Anne Cecere, director of film and TV relations of BMI, and Chandler Poling, founder of White Bear PR, to talk about music’s role in TV and movies.   Hit the jump for a full recap.

Yesterday NBC announced their new line-up for Fall 2012, and in addition to moving Community to a Friday timeslot (boo), the network also announced their slate of new series.  We included clips from said series in that post, but today NBC has posted trailers for all their new series.  These trailers give us a better sense of what to expect from the shows overall as opposed to the clips, and in this story we’ve included the trailers for two of NBC’s new drama series: Revolution and Chicago Fire.

Revolution comes from executive producer J.J. Abrams and Supernatural creator Eric Kripke and takes place in a world where all forms of energy have mysteriously ceased to exist.  The show stars David Lyons (The Cape), Billy Burke (Twilight) and Giancarlo Esposito and certainly has a strong premise.  Moreover, Jon Favreau directed the pilot.  We’ve also got the trailer for Chicago Fire, starring Jesse Spencer (House) and Taylor Kinney (The Vampire Diaries).  The series comes from Law & Order creator Dick Wolf and follows the lives of firemen in Chicago.  Hit the jump to check out the trailer, and click here to watch the trailers for NBC’s new comedies.

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.

Even prior to any casting or extensive plot details, the NBC pilot Revolution has major geek credentials.  J.J. Abrams and partner Bryan Burk—who together have brought us Star Trek, Alias, Lost, Fringe, etc.—are producing.  Supernatural creator Eric Kripke wrote the script.  Now Deadline reports Jon Favreau, he of Iron Man fame, will direct the pilot.  Favreau has directed a few TV comedies before, including an episode of Undeclared, but nothing of this scope.  Revolution is described as “a high-octane action drama following a group of characters struggling to survive and reunite with loved ones in a world where all forms of energy have mysteriously ceased to exist.”  I don’t know what that means, but it sounds very cool, mostly because I trust the parties involved.

Favreau is also working on Tweaked this pilot season over at CBS.  He wrote the script, which chronicles life and dating among single parents in Santa Monica, and is attached to direct.

Supernatural creator Eric Kripke has sold his spec script, Haunted, to Warner Bros. with intent to direct the pic. According to Variety, Haunted will tell the classic haunted house story from the perspective of the ghost. In addition to his work on Supernatural and Haunted, Kripke also penned 2005′s Boogeyman starring, you guessed it, 7th Heaven‘s own Barry Watson. Haunted will mark his feature directorial debut. Green Lantern producer/screenwriter Greg Berlanti will co-produce Haunted alongside Kevin McCormick’s Langley Park label.

Though a film adaptation never came to fruition, last September brought news that Neil Gaiman’s seminal comic book series The Sandman may head to television in the form of a series from Warner Bros. and Supernatural creator Eric Kripke. However, at a PaleyFest red carpet event, Kripke had some disappointing news, telling The Live Feed “Unfortunately, for a lot of varying reasons, Sandman is not in the works, at least for this season.” He elaborated that the potential adaptation “just didn’t quite happen this season through nobody’s fault, and hopefully we can do it again in the future.”

So it sounds like there is still hope for those looking to see Gaiman’s favorite comic book get its due diligence on some sort of screen whether it’s big or small. But for now the project won’t be getting off the ground anytime soon. I guess it’s not surprising since a film adaptation was attempted several times since the 90s with no success. Neil Gaiman fans will just have to be a little more patient. Hit the jump for a synopsis of The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes.

Update: DC Comics Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns has tweeted a status update on the project.  Johns tweets that Gaiman is on board and that development on the series continues.  It’s possible that the development simply now continues without Kripke’s participation.  Here’s Johns’ tweet:

Correction to world: The Sandman is AWAKE! Psyched to be working with @neilhimself on developing one of the greatest series ever!

Season 6 of The CW drama Supernatural marks not only a new chapter in the show’s story, but also a change in leadership, as executive producer Eric Kripke has handed over show runner duties to Sera Gamble. Having already been on staff as a producer and writer, it’s been a very smooth transition for all involved, and it has helped to invigorate and re-invent the series in a way that will keep it fresh for seasons to come.

During a recent interview to promote the show’s return, Eric Kripke and Sera Gamble talked about wiping the slate clean this season, getting to see how things have affected both Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) post-apocalypse and how they’re definitely up for more seasons, if there’s the demand for it. Check out what they had to say after the jump:

Though there had been talk about a film adaptation about the seminal comic book series The Sandman from Neil Gaiman (who also wrote the source material for such adaptations as Coraline and Stardust), but now Heat Vision reports the property is now in the early stages of being developed into a TV show over at Warner Bros. The studio is currently acquiring the rights from DC Entertainment and have already begun talks with various writers and producers for the TV adaptation. Apparently the top choice right now is Eric Kripke, most well known for creating Supernatural, but at the moment author Neil Gaiman is currently not involved with these developments which could create problems down the road. For those unfamiliar with the property you can find story details are after the jump.

If you thought Smallville’s move to Friday night’s would finally end the adventures of Clark Kent on TV, think again. That’s because according to CW president Dawn Ostroff (via ew.com) “I’m really pleased with the show.  Creatively, I think they’ve done a great job. And the ratings are [strong] on Friday night.”  She went on to say “right now I think it’s just a season finale” when asked how this season would end.  While things might change, this is a pretty good indication Smallville will return for a 10^th season.

And for fans of Supernatural, Ostroff says creator Eric Kripke is warming to the idea of a sixth season. “I think he’s in that state of mind,” she says. “I had lunch with Eric the other day and he’s really excited about the show right now. I think he feels this season has been really satisfying for him. He’s certainly not running out of ideas by any stretch of the imagination.  We have more young women coming to the show than ever before. There aren’t a lot of shows that you can say are doing better in their fifth year.” (via ew.com)

In the coming months a lot will be announced about which shows will be returning on all the networks.  Expect plenty of updates.

Last week I was with a small group of people and we talked with Jeffrey Dean Morgan for a decent amount of time. While I can’t say where I was yet, when the embargo lifts, you can expect a great write-up.

Anyway, while speaking to Jeffrey, he let it slip that he’d like to play Lobo in the just announced feature film! He also talked about whether or not he’d do more episodes of “Supernatural” and the future of the show. Oh, and he told us he might be in the “Red Dawn” movie! Exactly what he said is after the jump: