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 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.

During this recent exclusive interview with Collider, actor Giancarlo Esposito talked about wanting to make sure that Tom Neville is nothing like his Breaking Bad character, Gus Fring, how exciting it is to be a part of one of the biggest hits of this last season, how worried he was about viewers returning after such a long hiatus, just how pissed off Neville will be now, the inevitable clash that’s coming between Neville and his son (Pardo), and that he hopes the show will get people to think about who they are and where they’re going.  Check out what he had to say after the jump, and be aware that there are some spoilers.

Alex Cross follows the homicide detective/psychologist from the best-selling novels by James Patterson, as he comes up against psychopathic serial killer Picasso (Matthew Fox). This time, the story takes a younger version of Alex Cross (Tyler Perry) back to the origins of the character while the two men face off in a high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse that will push Cross to this edge of his moral limits. From director Rob Cohen (The Fast and The Furious, xXx), the film also stars Edward Burns, Cicely Tyson, Carmen Ejogo, Giancarlo Esposito, John C. McGinley and Jean Reno.

At the film’s press day, actress Rachel Nichols – who plays Monica Ashe, one of Cross’ co-workers at the Detroit P.D. – spoke to Collider for this exclusive interview about how she came to be a part of the film, why she loves playing strong women, going through training with Tyler Perry and Ed Burns, how natural the chemistry with her co-stars was, and how intense Matthew Fox’s transformation for his role was.  She also talked about her Canadian TV show Continuum, which will be airing on Syfy, that they start shooting Season 2 in January 2013, how she’d like to squeeze in another film first, and how she hopes her 2005 Fox TV show The Inside will be made available on DVD.  Check out what she had to say after the jump. 

Alex Cross follows the homicide detective/psychologist from the best-selling novels by James Patterson, as he comes up against psychopathic serial killer Picasso (Matthew Fox).  This time, the story takes a younger version of Alex Cross (Tyler Perry) back to the origins of the character while the two men face off in a high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse that will push Cross to this edge of his moral limits.  From director Rob Cohen (The Fast and The Furious, xXx), the film also stars Edward Burns, Rachel Nichols, Cicely Tyson, Carmen Ejogo, Giancarlo Esposito, John C. McGinley and Jean Reno.

At the film’s press day, actor Tyler Perry talked about what drew him to this role, what it was like to be an actor for hire, how it was to be so stripped down for a character, how he enjoyed learning Krav Maga, whether he’d consider doing more role like this in the future, doing the fight sequences with co-star Matthew Fox, and what his Madea fans might think of him in this film.  He also talked about his partnership with Oprah Winfrey for original programming on OWN, how he feels about being a mogul, if he’d ever want to direct a big-budget movie, his biggest fears, and the fact that he’s recently met with J.J. Abrams about a possible project, but he will not appear in the Star Trek sequel.  Check out what he had to say after the jump.

Seven clips from the upcoming thriller Alex Cross have been released.  The James Patterson adaptation sees Tyler Perry taking over the titular role that was previously inhabited by Morgan Freeman in Along Came a Spider and Kiss the Girls.  This time the police detective/psychologist faces off against a muscle-laden serial killer played by Matthew Fox, under the direction of xXx helmer Rob Cohen.

Hit the jump to check out the clips.  The film also stars Rachel Nichols, Jean Reno, Edward Burns, John C. McGinely, and Giancarlo Esposito.  Alex Cross opens on October 19th.

The 2012 Emmy Awards air Sunday at 8pm on ABC during all of your other programming (set those DV-Rs!), so is the show worth watching?  Will there be any upsets?  Or will it just be worth it to sit there smugly as Bryan Cranston wins again for Breaking Bad, turning to your friends, significant other or Siri and saying “I totally called that.”  Hit the jump to see my predictions for who will win and whoshould win Sunday night based on Vegas odds, rumors, secret handshakes, the predictability of Emmy voters, with maybe an upset or two thrown in to keep things interesting.

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 trailer for the James Patterson adaptation Alex Cross has landed online.  The film sees Tyler Perry taking over the titular role that was previously inhabited by Morgan Freeman in Along Came a Spider and Kiss the Girls.  Though I tried to go into this trailer with an open mind, if it weren’t for the movie stars you’d be forgiven for thinking this was a Lifetime Movie of the Week.  Perry tries way too hard at being the toughened detective, director Rob Cohen (xXx) shows off his penchant for explosions, and I have no idea what’s up with Matthew Fox but he’s going way over the top for the villain role.  It’ll be interesting to see how this plays for Patterson fans, as Summit is hoping that Alex Cross kicks off a string of franchise films for Perry.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  The film also stars Rachel Nichols, Edward Burns, Jean Reno, Giancarlo Esposito, and John C. McGinley.  Alex Cross opens on October 19th.

By the time of season four of Breaking Bad, Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) have been in the meth game long enough to not make rookie mistakes.  Now they’re in the big leagues (making much bigger mistakes), and they’re working under the thumb of Gus Fring (Giancarlo Esposito), who has a placid exterior and no problem acting as a cold blooded killer.  It’s the best season of the show, and one of the best seasons of television ever.  Our review of the Blu-ray of Breaking Bad season four follows after the jump.

Not only do we have an explosive new teaser trailer for the final season of AMC’s Breaking Bad to share with you, we’re also going to provide you with a fan-made recap of all of Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse Pinkman’s (Aaron Paul) exploits so far!  In just under nine minutes, the YouTube user, editing genius and uber fan (who should really be paid by AMC for this fantastic offering) known only as Jswinney1 has managed to recap, chronologically, the first four seasons of Breaking Bad.

If you’re looking to get caught up before the July 15th premiere and are already excited by the final season’s first teaser trailer, look nowhere else to get your fix. The memories and the intensity are overwhelming. As Hector would say, Ding ding ding ding ding! Hit the jump for the glorious vid.

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.

With Alcatraz and Person of Interest both alive and kicking on Fox and CBS currently, it’s been a decent year for Bad Robot. Now the company already has its sights set on next season with Jon Favreau directing his Revolution pilot for NBC, a potential series about a group of people trying to survive “in a world where all forms of energy have mysteriously ceased to exist.” Now the pilot has at least one leading man as Vulture has learned that Breaking Bad villain Giancarlo Esposito has been cast. He’ll play a character named Lieutenant Neville, a southern gentleman and steely military man with a secret. Details on the rest of the pilot are slim but stay tuned as this project develops for more information.

Details on AnnaSophia Robb landing The Carrie Diaries on The CW after the jump.

Allison Janney has signed on to star opposite Chris Colfer (Glee) in the coming-of-age comedy Struck by Lightning.  Colfer also wrote the script which, per Variety, “opens with Colfer’s character being struck and killed by a bolt of lightning; flashbacks will chronicle his exploits as he blackmails his classmates into contributing to a literary magazine he’s publishing.”  The independent production will shoot this July in Los Angeles during Colfer’s summer hiatus from Glee.  Brian Dannelly (Saved!) will direct.

Hit the jump for more Giancarlo Esposito’s role in I, Alex Cross, and the casting of Dev Patel in More As This Story Develops.

Quite possibly the most intense, and earnest, show on television at the moment, Breaking Bad had a lot to live up to coming into its third season. The first season of AMC’s hit drama series took audiences by surprise, when Malcolm in the Middle’s Bryan Cranston turned in a harrowing performance as science teacher-turned-meth cooker Walter White. Just when we thought we were getting a handle on what the show would entail week-to-week, season two upped the ante, making audiences sweat bullets during the last five minutes of pretty much every episode, with significant character development encompassing each installment.

It was all but inevitable that a show this good would have a slump season. There was just no way creator Vince Gilligan and his team of writers could come up with a season as surprising and satisfying as the first two. Until they did. My review of the spectacular third season of Breaking Bad on Blu-ray after the jump.