For awhile now we’ve been updating on the progress of a new HBO drama series from writer Aaron Sorkin with the likes of Jeff Daniels, Sam Waterston, Olivia Munn, Emily Mortimer and more playing various characters working at a fictional cable news channel called UBS. More specifically, the series follows one of the programs on the channel that’s not unlike Countdown with Kieth Olberman. Now HBO Watch is reporting the series formerly known as More as This Story Develops will now simply be called Newsroom. Obviously it draws parallels to Sorkin’s Sports Night series from years back, but this will much different tonally and stylistically. Daniels play the show host Will McCallister while Waterston plays network president Charlie Skinner and if you want to get a taste of the dynamic between these two characters and the work Sorkin has put on the page, you can check out a bit of the expected snappy dialogue from the show after the jump.

Opening this week is Martin Scorsese‘s first 3D film, Hugo.  Based on Brian Selznick’s The Invention of Hugo Cabret, the film stars Asa Butterfield as a young boy secretly living in a train station in 1931 Paris.  As he attempts to piece together a puzzle that he’d been working on with his father, the results transform not only Hugo, but everyone he comes in contact with.  The impressive cast also includes Chloe Moretz, Sacha Baron Cohen, Sir Ben Kingsley, Jude Law, Ray Winstone, Christopher Lee, Helen McCrory, Richard Griffiths, Frances de la Tour, Emily Mortimer, and Michael Stuhlbarg. You can watch a trailer here.

During my interview with Mortimer, she talked about how she got involved with the project and getting to work for Scorsese for the second time, working in the 3D format, and what it was like to work with Sacha Baron Cohen (most of her scenes are with the gifted comedian).  In addition, with Mortimer working on Aaron Sorkin‘s new HBO show More As This Story Develops, we talked about who she plays and if she’s ready for the many tracking shots and “walk-and-talks” that Sorkin is known for.  Hit the jump to watch.

Though the project has been referred to by the working title More as This Story Develops, the cable news network based drama series set up at HBO is apparently still untitled. However, one thing that’s not uncertain is the future of the series as THR reports HBO has just given a series order to Sorkin’s first cable endeavor that will follow a cable news anchor, his executive producer, the newsroom staff and their boss as they set out on a mission to do the news in the face of commercial and corporate obstacles as well as their own personal entanglements.

Jeff Daniels, in his first major role as a series regular, plays the cable news anchor while Emily Mortimer plays his executive producer. Meanwhile, Alison Pill, John Gallgher Jr., Olivia Munn, Dev Patel, Thomas Sadoski and Sam Waterston round out the supporting cast. Since all of Sorkin’s previous series’ have been on regular network television, I’m hoping the cable arena really lets him cut loose. Of course, knowing Sorkin’s political sensibilities and the fact that he spent time with cable news personalities like Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann, I’m betting this series won’t hit that well with conservative audience members. Either way, any new series project from an amazing writer like Sorkin should be good news for everyone.

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.

We’ve known for some time now that Jeff Daniels would lead a new cable news centric drama pilot at HBO called More as This Story Develops. In addition, Emily Mortimer has been confirmed to take the lead female role with Alison Pill and Olivia Munn taking supporting roles. Now The Wrap reports Law & Order alum Sam Waterston, who played Jack McCoy on the staple legal series until its recent cancellation, has signed on for a role in the promising new series. Waterston will play Charles Skinner, the president of the cable news division which houses news anchor Will McCallister’s (Daniels) own show. This assembly of talent with Greg Mottola (Superbad) at the helm of the pilot has me excited for what looks to be yet another great series on HBO.

Last week we learned that Marisa Tomei was close to taking the lead female role in a new series pilot for HBO from writer Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network) and director Greg Mottola (Paul). However, it looks like another serious contender for the role has been locked into the pilot as Deadline reports Emily Mortimer (Shutter Island, Cars 2) has snagged the lead female role instead. Tentatively titled More as This Story Develops, the new series follows cable news anchor Will McCallister (Jeff Daniels), who has his own show, as well as the show’s female executive producer and staff. Mortimer is playing the executive producer, MacKenzie, for whom producing the news is what she does best and everything else is just noise. I’m thoroughly looking forward to seeing how this project turns out and can’t wait to see who else joins the cast.

We already know that Jeff Daniels is slated to lead a new HBO pilot from writer Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network) with Greg Mottola attached to direct. Now the female side of the cast is filling out as Deadline reports Olivia Munn (Date Night), Alison Pill (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) and potentially Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler) are in various stages of joining the project tentatively titled More As This Story Develops. The new series would follow cable news anchor Will McCallister (Jeff Daniels), who has his own show, as well as the show’s female executive producer and staff.

Tomei is currently inching closer to taking the lead female role of executive producer, MacKenzie, for whom producing the news is what she does best and everything else is just noise. Apparently her involvement isn’t official yet, but it sounds like she’ll end up taking the role. Meanwhile, Munn and Pill are already in negotiations for their roles with the former playing a sexy financial analyst on the same cable network as McCallister and the latter taking the role of Maggie, an associate producer on the assignment desk. Sounds like quite a promising series, with a spectacular cast being rounded up. Stay tuned as this project develops.