AMC Releases ‘The Killing’ Teaser Trailer & Featurette

After a hat trick with hit original series Mad Men, Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead, AMC doesn’t intend to slow down any time soon. In addition to Hell on Wheels, production on the first season of The Killing is wrapping up for a March 2011 debut. The cable network has released a short promo and a featurette to whet the appetites of murder mystery fans.

Billed as a character-focused alternative to more standard police procedurals, The Killing follows an investigation into the murder of a Seattle girl. Each of the thirteen episodes covers exactly one day, and the narrative jumps between the lead investigator, the girl’s grieving parents and the mayor of the city.

Based on Danish miniseries Forbrydelsen, the show will explore the motivations and emotions of its characters as they follow the clues to find the murderer. According to executive producer Venna Sud:

“What we’re trying to do with this show is take the genre and turn it on its head… This is all about the secrets we have… it’s about how worlds collide, how there’s very little separation in a city, how everything sort of comes together around this murder investigation.”

Sud’s previous working includes writing and producing two seasons of CBS’ Cold Case. Other crew members include executive producer Mikkel Bondesen (Burn Notice, The Good Guys) and associate producer Shana Fischer (Dirty Sexy Money). Mireille Enos will lead the series as Detective Sarah Linden, the lead detective of the murder case. Fans of HBO’s Big Love will recognize her as Jodeen Marquart, one of the leading wives. Bill Campbell of The 4400, Enough and The Rocketeer plays the mayor, who has a special interest in both the case and the detective. Michelle Forbes (True Blood, Battlestar Galactica) and Brent Sexton (Deadwood) round out the cast as the victim’s grieving parents.

Watch the promo and featurette below:

If the sneak peek and the cast and crew interviews are anything to go on, The Killing will focus heavily on grief and betrayal. The acting and production design looks subtle and muted -- even the Northwestern setting lends itself to a contemplative and bleak atmosphere. Between that and the character-focused nature of the series, AMC is taking a big gamble. Mainstream audiences seem to be much more interested in glitzy whodunits like Numb3rs and the various CSI incarnations. However, cable networks have had much more success with more ambitious versions of the police procedural, like The Closer, Southland and Justified. AMC hasn’t tackled anything quite like this yet, but if their recent work is any indication, the new show will be one to keep an eye on.

The Killing starts its freshman season in March on AMC.

Source: Zap2it

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TRON: Legacy ‘Vehicles’ and Behind-The-Scenes Featurette

What day comes after Monday, but two days before Thursday? If you didn’t immediately answer TRON Tuesday, then clearly Walt Disney Picture’s TRON: Legacy marketing blitz hasn’t properly grabbed hold of your subconscious yet (don’t worry, they’re working on it).

Two more featurettes for the 3D digital world adventure are online and they offer a closer look at the design of the film’s too-cool-for-reality vehicles, as well as a more general behind-the-scenes glimpse at the elaborate sets and technology used to fully realize “The Grid.”

TRON: Legacy director, Joseph Kosinski, hired automobile designer Darren Gilford as production designer for the film, which not only contains newly improved, highly detailed versions of the light cycles from the original Tron, but adds low riding cars and assemble-it-yourself-in-midair jets into the mix. Those that watched either the third TRON: Legacy trailer or the most recent international theatrical preview - or really any footage from the movie released, so far know exactly what we’re talking about.

Cast members Garrett Hedlund, Jeff Bridges, and Olivia Wilde get to talk up TRON: Legacy even more in this new “Vehicles” featurette -- props to the trio for still appearing enthusiastic while they chat about the same movie they’ve been promoting seemingly 24-7 for months now.

Check out the “Vehicles” video below:

The raw behind-the-scenes TRON: Legacy footage offered a glimpse at the expensive but sick looking practical sets and cybersuits (which actually light up, no less) worn by the actors, as well as the fancy motion-capture getup that Bridges had to don in order to create the character Clu 2.0 (a.k.a. CGI young Jeff Bridges).

Kosinski is quite keen in this second TRON: Legacy featurette to call attention to the prestigious nature of his technical crew on the project (was anyone NOT a previous Oscar nominee and/or winner?), who look to have done a bang-up job of meshing actual props (duel discs, helmets, etc.) and people with CGI landscapes and digitally-created architecture -- both in the 2D “real world” sequences and the 3D scenes set in “The Grid” itself.

Watch the latest behind-the-scenes video for TRON: Legacy below:

TRON: Legacy arrives in 2D, 3D, and IMAX 3D theaters on December 17th, 2010, which means we only have three TRON Tuesdays left. So -- who here’s excited?

Source: Walt Disney Pictures

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New ‘TRON: Legacy’ Clip & Featurette

Feeling concerned that TRON Tuesday came and seemingly went without new paraphernalia being unveiled for Disney’s TRON: Legacy? Rest assured, the company has released even more material in promotion of their big-budget, 3D tentpole pic.

Yet another clip from TRON: Legacy has made its way online, along with a featurette that looks briefly at the different style and representation of reality vs. “The Grid” in the cyber-world adventure.

Most moviegoers missed out on Disney’s TRON Night Event, but the Mouse House seems determined to make even hermits that live out in the farthest regions of Antarctica aware of the impending release of the TRON sequel. Last week’s third TRON: Legacy trailer had its share of extravagant visuals to help fuel fan anticipation, but it was the Daft Punk “Derezzed” music video that really did an excellent job of portraying how stylish TRON: Legacy will be in terms of its visual and audio design.

Tech-savvy Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund) is the protagonist for TRON: Legacy but, based off the footage we’ve seen so far, he seems inexplicably morose for a fellow who finds himself sucked into a digital realm full of robotic women armed with laser-tipped fingers, and gargantuan Recognizers zooming about throughout the atmosphere.

Just watch the latest TRON: Legacy clip and tell us that Sam doesn’t seem a bit too detached about being fitted with a snazzy black cybersuit by four milky-eyed ladies, led by the albino Siren Jam (Beau Garrett):

TRON: Legacy promises to have 3D eye candy galore, so here’s hoping that perhaps Sam’s old man, Kevin (Jeff Bridges) and his protege Quorra (Olivia Wilde) are a bit more enthused than Sam and help make the film an overall fun, energetic romp.

L to R: Wilde, Bridges, and Hedlund strike a pose for 'TRON: Legacy'.

Everyday reality will look quite different from the digital world in TRON: Legacy since the brown-tinted real world scenes were shot and will be presented in two dimensions before the scenery shifts to the 3D lightning-strewn world of “The Grid.”

Check out what we mean by watching the behind-the-scenes video below:

TRON: Legacy hits 2D, 3D, and IMAX 3D screens in the U.S. on December 17th, 2010. Are you feeling all the more excited to actually see this movie at last?

Source: Walt Disney Pictures

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