New ‘Game Of Thrones’ Trailer; AMC Accidentally Spoils ‘The Walking Dead’; ‘Terra Nova’ Canceled & More

Several pleasant surprises and upsets are making their way throughout the television community, so let’s get things started.

First, on a positive note, HBO has released another trailer for the much-anticipated return of their sword and sorcery series “Game of Thrones.” Soundtracked quite wonderfully to the Florence + The Machine's “Seven Devil,” along with a foreboding voiceover from several of the show’s major players, it’s an eerie but enticing trailer that is sure to excite fans. The trailer ends with “04-01-12” emblazoned upon the screen, promising that during the second season’s premiere on April 1, the only fools will be those who aren’t watching.

Next, the Jaume Collet-Serra-directed pilot for CBS’s new drama “Quean” has been outright axed by the network over some legal strife regarding its similarities to the massive cultural sensation that is “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.” There’s word that Warner Bros. TV, who were producing along with mastermind Joel Silver’s Silver Pictures, just decided to pull the plug in order to adhere to some strong outside legal advice. Written by “The L Word” creator Ilene Chaiken, “Quean” centered on an edgy hacker girl who would team up with an Oakland police detective to solve crimes in typical CBS procedural form. While moving into the casting stage, Warner Bros. TV reportedly received a threatening letter from Sony Pictures, who promised a lawsuit over the striking similarities to 'Tattoo,' due to the fact that they have the rights to the property and are currently planning on making two more films following David Fincher's movie that hit theaters in December. So for those waiting for “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo: The Series,” you’re out of luck.

While “The Walking Dead” may be the most mind-numbingly dull series currently on air for some, the zombie apocalypse survivor show is still a major draw for AMC in the 18-34 demographic that is so furiously vied for. But fans are getting a little hot under the collar regarding a spoiler that the channel has leaked. For those who don’t want the (obvious) to be spoiled, avert your eyes, but we did call it when Jon Bernthal who plays the character Shane on the series was eyeing Frank Darabont’s new show “L.A. Noir” back in January. Apparently the network released the details and artwork for the upcoming season two DVD and Blu-ray release, which prematurely called attention to the death of Shane, including that “Shane's last episode” would be featured in the set. Oops. For fans of the comic, this death has been rumored/anticipated for awhile now, but for fans, it's a bit out of left field. Well, that pretty large cat is out of the bag on AMC’s part, with this writer wondering how the show will sustain audience’s interest with really the only interesting character and point of contention for series lead Rick and his wife gone. Things may get ugly once again for the troubled AMC show, and we thought the zombies were supposed to be the scary part.

Finally, news that should surprise few has come out that Fox's “Terra Nova” has been canceled after just one season (seems like it's been forever, given the lengthy production to get the first batch of episodes in the can). Apparently this comes after a few weeks of Fox executives trying to tweak the show’s second season, but the plan is for the Steven Spielberg and Peter Chernin-produced prehistoric family drama to be shopped around to other interested networks, as they claim that there is indeed an audience for the show. Arriving upon a wave of hype, the series never exactly caught the eye of the public or critics, but apparently was able to produce a sizable audience with each showing. Still, with expenses like $14-million for the two-hour pilot and $4-million for the following season order, that’s a little too large of a budget to keep a show that’s just doing okay in the ratings. Much like the prehistoric creatures featured on the show, “Terra Nova” is gone for now, with its remains to possibly be resurrected someday. We won’t be betting on it. [Deadline/Vulture/MTV/Deadline]