The first trailer for director Stephen Sommers’ adaptation of the Dean Koontz novel Odd Thomas has made its way online.  The story centers on a short-order cook who can commune with the dead, with Anton Yelchin starring as the titular character.  It’s a uniquely “small” film for Sommers following the director’s previous tentpoles like Van Helsing, The Mummy, and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, but he appears to be delving in similar territory as the more supernatural aspects of Odd Thomas are grounded by a healthy dose of humor and charisma from Yelchin.  The pic looks to strike a vibe similar to Men in Black or Beetlejuice, and it’s a bit too early to tell if it succeeds or not, but Yelchin’s starring turn sure is promising.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer.  The film also stars Willem Dafoe, Addison Timlin, Nico Tortorella, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Patton Oswalt.  Odd Thomas opens in theaters later this year.

After making waves with eight seasons of the action thriller series 24, actor Kiefer Sutherland and Fox are back together for what looks like a promising new drama series that I wish would’ve debuted this fall instead of next spring. From Heroes creator Tim Kring comes Touch, a drama about a widower (Sutherland) whose 11-year-old mute son is seeing patterns in numbers. But what does it all mean? Looking like a mix of Alex Proyas’ Knowing and the mythology of Kring’s aforementioned superhero drama on NBC, a new trailer released straight from Fox really makes Touch look like a promising addition to Fox’s dramatic line-up in 2012. After the jump you can see the trailer for yourself as well as the series’ official synopsis.

The series was part of Fox’s upfronts presentation back in May, and now Fox has officially order 13 episodes of Touch, a new drama series starring Kiefer Sutherland, who makes his return to the network after eight seasons of 24. Tim Kring (Heroes) created the new series which will hit the air sometime in the spring of 2012. Director Francis Lawrence (Water for Elephants) is behind the pilot for the series which is said to have science and spirituality intersect with the hopeful premise that we are all interconnected, tied in invisible ways to those whose lives we are destined to alter and impact. David Mazouz, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Danny Glover also star. You can check out the full series synopsis after the jump.

In 1996, Tom Hanks made his writing-directing debut with the harmless but charming That Thing You Do.  After writing and directing episodes of the miniseries From the Earth to the Moon and Band of Brothers, Hanks has returned to feature films with Larry Crowne.  While his direction remains competent and innocuous, his screenplay, which he co-wrote with Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) relies far too heavily on meaningless quirks and undercooks both the title character’s development and his romance with his public speaking teacher, Mercedes Tainot (Julia Roberts).  Larry Crowne manages to deliver a steady stream of laughs, but like everything else in the movie, they feel unearned.

With Larry Crowne getting released this weekend, I recently attended a press conference with Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Wilmer Valderrama.  Directed by and starring Tom Hanks, the story centers on a laid-off middle-aged man (Hanks) who goes back to college and strikes up a relationship with one of his professors (Roberts).  Raw and Valderrama play two friends that Hanks meets while at school.  Larry Crowne is the first film Hanks has directed since 1996’s That Thing You Do, and he co-wrote the script with Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding).  You can watch the trailer here.

During the press conference, Raw and Valderrama talked about working with Hanks and Roberts, filming the movie, the improv, working on Broadway, what would they do if they had to go back to school for a new career, and a lot more.  Hit the jump to either read or listen to the interview.

Universal has sent over 7 clips and a featurette from Larry Crowne.  Directed by and starring Tom Hanks, the story centers on a laid-off middle-aged man (Hanks) who goes back to college and strikes up a relationship with one of his professors (Julia Roberts).  Larry Crowne is the first film Hanks has directed since 1996’s That Thing You Do, and he co-wrote the script with Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding).   While the story seems pretty simple, Hanks has proven himself behind the camera and people love the guy.  What I’m trying to say is…I’m pretty sure Larry Crowne is going to be a big hit for Universal.  Hanks and Roberts are joined in the film by Bryan Cranston, Cedric the Entertainer, Taraji P. Henson, Gugu Mbatha Raw, Wilmer Valderrama, Pam Grier, Rami Malek, George Takei, Grace Gummer, Rita Wilson, and Jon Seda.  Check out the clips after the jump.  Larry Crowne hits theaters July 1st.

We’ve got a couple of casting stories for you this evening. First up, the cast for Stephen Sommers’ adapatation of the Dean Koontz novel Odd Thomas continues to fill out, with Undercovers star Gugu Mbatha-Raw being the latest actor to join the film. Odd Thomas stars Anton Yelchin as the eponymous character who is able to see and partially communicate with the dead. Addison Timlin is poised to play his girlfriend, and Variety reports that Mbatha-Raw will play her best friend. The cast now includes Nico Tortorella and Patton Oswalt, with Willem Dafoe in talks to play the local police chief.

Additionally, Michael B. Jordan (TV’s Friday Night Lights) and Alex Russell have been tapped as the leads in Fox’s supernatural drama alongside Dane DeHaan. Variety reports that plot details are under wraps, but the story apparently centers on “three Portland teens after they develop powers from exposure to a mysterious substance.” Josh Trank (The Kill Point) will make his feature directorial debut on the project, from a script by Max Landis. Chronicle is slated for a February 3, 2012 release.

Universal has released the first trailer for Larry Crowne.  Directed by and starring Tom Hanks, the story centers on a laid-off middle-aged man (Hanks) who goes back to college and strikes up a relationship with one of his professors (Julia Roberts).  Larry Crowne is the first film Hanks has directed since 1996’s That Thing You Do, and he co-wrote the script with Nia Vardalos (My Big Fat Greek Wedding).   While the story seems pretty simple, Hanks has proven himself behind the camera and people love the guy.    What I’m trying to say is…I’m pretty sure Larry Crowne is going to be a big hit for Universal.  Check out the trailer, synopsis and new images after the jump:

With hits like Alias, Fringe and of course Lost under his belt, it appears Bad Robot mastermind J.J. Abrams can do no wrong. But how does the popular filmmaker take a concept that has been driven into the ground with mediocre romantic comedies like Killers and Date Night or already somewhat explored by NBC’s other action comedy spy series Chuck? The answer is very carefully and with moderate success.

Steven and Samantha Bloom (played respectively by Boris Kodjoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw) are struggling through debt with their catering business until grizzly old Agent Carlton Shaw (Gerald McRaney) reluctantly sits them down for a proposal to help locate missing CIA agent Leo Nash (Carter MacIntyre), who also happens to be one of their good friends. With a marriage that has somewhat lost its spark (though certainly not its true love), the only way to spice thing up under the covers may be to become Undercovers all over again. Find out how The Bloom’s fare on their first mission after the jump.

The NBC series Undercovers is a sexy, fun, action-packed spy drama from writer/producer/director J.J. Abrams and executive producer/writer Josh Reims. As far as their family and friends are concerned, Steven Bloom (Boris Kodjoe) and his wife Samantha (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) are a typical married couple with their own catering company in Los Angeles. But secretly, the duo were two of the best spies the CIA had ever known, until they retired five years ago. Now, they’ve been reinstated by their old boss, Carlton Shaw (Gerald McRaney), to locate and rescue a fellow spy who has gone missing.

In a recent interview, actor Boris Kodjoe talked about what a dream come true it is for him to play this role, how much he enjoys getting to do his own stunts, and what an honor it is to be the lead on one of the most-anticipated series of the Fall TV season. Check out what he had to say after the jump:

In a bit of a no-brainer, NBC has picked up the high profile pilot for the spy drama Undercovers for their fall 2010 schedule. Co-created by J.J. Abrams (Star Trek) and Josh Reims (Brothers and Sisters), Undercovers nabbed the first official season order among the broadcast networks after riding high on a wave of good buzz throughout pilot season.  The Abrams-directed pilot opens on a married couple who currently run a small L.A. catering company, but fell in love when they were two of the CIA’s finest spies; Boris Kodjoe (Soul Food) and Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Doctor Who) star.

Given the Abrams pedigree, expectations are high for a network who could use a savior next season.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a two hour block of spy-related awesomeness (i.e. Chuck at 8:00, Undercovers at 9:00) when the full schedule is announced in a couple weeks.  Hit the jump for the official press release.

Tom Hanks knows how to use the Twitter machine.  This past weekend, he posted a picture of his still incomplete casting wall for his new movie Larry Crowne.  When casting is finished, he will gaze at the wall and whisper, “You complete me,” and everyone else in the office will shift uncomfortably in their seats.

Among the new cast members are Oscar nominee Taraji P. Henson (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), two-time Emmy winner Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), George Takei (Original Star Trek), Wilmer Valderrama (That 70s Show), and Cedric the Entertainer (Cadillac Records).  They’ll join stars Hanks and Julia Roberts in the story of “a man (Hanks) forced to reinvent himself and find a new career as he navigates the second act of his life.”  Crowne will be the first film Hanks has directed since 1996′s That Thing You Do.

Hit the jump to see the photo an incomplete list of the incomplete cast.