While their previous filmography is rather diverse (Crazy/Beautiful to Clash of the Titans), screenwriters Matt Manfredi and Phil Hay tackled a whole new genre with the upcoming R.I.P.D.—a buddy cop movie.  The film is based on the Dark Horse comic of the same name and stars Ryan Reynolds as a newly deceased cop who joins a group of undead officers in the “Rest In Peace Department” to help combat a rising force of nefarious corpses.  Reynolds is introduced to the world of the dead by an R.I.P.D. veteran played by Jeff Bridges, and what follows is a buddy cop film of sorts with a supernatural bent as gleaned by the pic’s recent trailer.

With the film hitting theaters July 19th, I recently sat down with Manfredi and Hay for an extended interview.  During our wide ranging conversation they talked about how they started writing together, how Crazy/Beautiful happened, R.I.P.D., Ride Along, The Boys, Big Man Japan, their writing process, and so much more.  Hit the jump to watch.

Sequels are already in the works for two upcoming cop comedies.  Buzz is strong for Bridesmaids director Paul Feig’s buddy cop comedy The Heat, and Deadline reports that screenwriter Katie Dippold has been tapped to start working on the script for a follow-up months before the first film even opens.  The pic stars Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy as a by-the-books FBI agent and a rough-around-the-edges local Boston cop, respectively, who team up to take down a drug lord.  The film’s red-band trailer promises plenty of laughs and great chemistry between Bullock and McCarthy, and the pic’s June 28th release date shows big confidence from 20th Century Fox.  Hit the jump for news of a sequel to Ride Along.

The official synopses for a couple of upcoming Universal Pictures films have been released.  Director Peter Cornwell’s (The Haunting in Connecticut) supernatural thriller Mercy is based on the short story of the same name by Stephen King and stars Chandler Riggs (The Walking Dead) and Joel Courtney (Super 8) as two young boys who, after moving with their mother to take care of their dying grandmother at a decrepit farmhouse, encounter a dark spirit.  Shirley Knight, Frances O’Connor, Mark Duplass, and Dylan McDermott also star in this Jason Blum-produced (Paranormal Activity) thriller.

Additionally, we’ve got an official synopsis for the action-comedy Ride Along.  Directed by Tim Story (Fantastic Four), the film stars Kevin Hart as a fast-talking aspiring police officer who must team up with his girlfriend’s brother, a hot-tempered cop (Ice Cube), to prove that he’s worthy of being her husband.  The film also stars John Leguizamo, Jay Pharoah, and Laurence Fishbourne and opens on January 17, 2014.  Hit the jump to read the full synopses.

Check out a slew of new release dates below:

• Zero Dark Thirty, from director Kathryn Bigelow and starring Chris Pratt, Jessica Chastain and Joel Edgerton, will now open in L.A. and New York on December 19th, with a wide release on January 11th, 2013.
• Ride Along, the cop-centered action comedy starring Ice Cube, Kevin Hart and John Leguizamo, will open January 17th, 2014.
• The Guilt Trip, directed by Anne Fletcher and starring Barbra Streisand and Seth Rogan as mother and son, now avoids Christmas crowds by opening almost a week earlier on December 19th, 2012.
• Stand Up Guys, from director Fisher Stevens and starring Al Pacino, Christopher Walken and Alan Arkin, has been pushed back to February 1st, 2013.
• Getaway, starring Ethan Hawke, Selena Gomez and Jon Voight, now opens August 30th, 2013.
• Closed Circuit, the John Crowley thriller starring Rebecca Hall, Eric Bana and Jim Broadbent, now opens August 28th, 2013.

Hit the jump for more on each of these pictures.

With Nate Parker (Red Tails) reportedly exiting Spike Lee’s Oldboy remake due to scheduling conflicts (with Non-Stop, starring Liam Neeson), the director has turned to a familiar collaborator in James Ransone (Sinister).  Oldboy will mark the third time the duo have worked together, following Lee’s Inside Man and Red Hook Summer.   Currently filming, Oldboy also stars Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen, Samuel L. Jackson and Sharlto Copely.  Variety reports that Ransone will play a doctor who works with Olsen’s character in the remake of Chan-wook Park’s revenge thriller, a story that centers on a man (Brolin) who escapes from a decade of imprisonment and goes in search of his kidnappers.  Ransone can next be seen in Broken City, along with Russell Crowe and Mark Wahlberg.

For news on John Leguizamo (The Lincoln Lawyer) joining Ice Cube and Kevin Hart in the action-comedy, Ride Along, hit the jump.

Back in May during the network upfronts, we got our first look at the all-new police drama Ride Along from Shawn Ryan (The Shield, Terriers), and since then the series has been in production in the Windy City of Chicago awaiting their mid-season premiere. However, Deadline reported recently the series decided to go with The Chicago Code for their official title. In addition, a press release from Fox today announced that the awaited series will finally premiere the day after the Super Bowl on February 7th at 9/8c. While more numbers might have hit the show right after the big game, apparently Fox has already slated an episode of Glee to follow the football festivities (because if there’s one thing football fans love, it’s glitz, glamor and musicals).  More details on the new police drama after the jump.

With the release of Fox’s 2010-11 schedule comes a whole bunch of preview clips to promote the network’s new shows.  We have video from new fall shows Lonestar, Raising Hope, and Running Wilde as well as midseason offerings Mixed Signals, Bob’s Burgers, and Ride-Along; from the early looks of things, Fox has a really impressive slate for the upcoming season.  The videos are embedded after the jump: scroll through to see a trailer and clips from each show.

If you’ve ever watched an episode of The Shield, The Unit, or Lie to Me, you’ve enjoyed the work of Shawn Ryan.  That’s because he created The Shield and The Unit, and he’s currently the showrunner on Lie to Me.  As you can see by his resume, the guy knows how to make shows people like.  So with The Shield getting a new DVD box set that includes all the episodes ever produced, I recently spoke with Ryan about his work on the show.  Of course we also talked about Lie to Me and the pilot script he’s currently writing called Ride Along.  If you were a fan of The Shield, or just curious what’s up with Lie to Me, you’ll really enjoy our conversation.  You can either read or listen to it after the jump: