Tag Archives: Lionsgate

Lionsgate Options Another Young Adult Trilogy, Chaos Walking

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Lionsgate hopes to duplicate the success of The Hunger Games franchise with yet another young-adult novel series, Chaos Walking, by Patrick Ness. The trilogy is set in a dystopian world and centers around two children (Sound familiar?). The two children, named Todd Hewitt and Viola Eade encounter several moral issues as the planet around them erupts into war.

The twist is that there are no women and everyone can hear each others’ thoughts through a stream of images and words called “Noise.” Trippy.

The Knife of Never Letting Go was published in 2008 and follows Todd as he is forced to flee town after the discovery of a patch of silence, a place that is free of Noise. The novel is follows by, The Ask and the Answer (2009) and the final book Monster of Men (2010). The first novel is narrated entirely by Todd while the second one has the viewpoints of both children. Whether the film adaptation will follow this formula or not has not been revealed.

The official description for the book is as follows:

Todd Hewitt is the only boy in a town of men. Ever since the settlers were infected with the Noise germ, Todd can hear everything the men think, and they hear everything he thinks. Todd is just a month away from becoming a man, but in the midst of the cacophony, he knows that the town is hiding something from him — something so awful Todd is forced to flee with only his dog, whose simple, loyal voice he hears too. With hostile men from the town in pursuit, the two stumble upon a strange and eerily silent creature: a girl. Who is she? Why wasn’t she killed by the germ like all the females on New World? Propelled by Todd’s gritty narration, readers are in for a white-knuckle journey in which a boy on the cusp of manhood must unlearn everything he knows in order to figure out who he truly is.

Charlie Kaufman most known for his work on Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind, has signed on to adapt the first book in the series, The Knife of Never Letting Go.

Kaufman has previously adapted Susan Orlean’s The Orchid Thief into Spike Jonze’s 2002 crowd-pleaser, Adaptation, as well as 2002’s Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, directed by George Clooney. Kaufman is known for his dreamlike collaborations with directors like Jonze and Michel Gondry  (The Science of Sleep).

And considering the subject matter, it’s entirely possible that the screenplay might be a little more bizarre than the average tween novel-to-movie adaptation. But the guy helped revise the Kung Fu Panda 2 script, so who knows?

Doug Davidson’s production company, Quadrant Pictures, has also signed on to produce.

There is no word on an expected release date or who will star in this adaptation as of yet.

Will Francis Lawrence Be Good For Catching Fire?

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It was announced last week that Lionsgate had officially offered director Francis Lawrence the job of directing Catching Fire. As of now, fans are still unsure of the decision as many felt that the departure of Gary Ross was the first step into disappointment for the mega popular trilogy written by Suzanne Collins.

However,  Lawrence may just surprise fans. He is qualified for the position and his previous experience may lend itself to the expansive setting of Catching Fire.

Lawrence definitely has more experience when it comes to large-scale action scenes and settings. After his previous work on I Am Legend, he has proven himself to be adept at creating worlds where CG and live action merge harmoniously for the audience. Considering the large-scale world of Arena, Lawrence may be more at home than Gary Ross was during the first installment.

Another reason we may be able to trust Lawrence with the beloved second installment is his previous film experience is just as apocalyptic as The Hunger Games. He definitely knows the genre and has a love for it. He has proven through his past films that he can create a post-apocalyptic world that is not only familiar but also far removed from the society we know. Creating the tone of Catching Fire should be easy for him.

Also, the second book and upcoming movie will have a ton of new elements including characters, settings, and most importantly the Arena. Lawrence won’t be boxed into being influenced by Ross’ directing style. He can strike out with his own style while creating a world fans already love.

On the professional side of things, however, Lawrence is basically guaranteed that he will have a hit film. With the large fan base already in place, the movie is going to take off. Thankfully, Lawrence is willing to compromise with the studio to make the film happen, and to further the creation that Ross began. Catching Fire HAS to begin very soon if it expects to stay on track and based on Lionsgate offering Lawrence the job, they must have faith that he can get the ball moving on the project.

It seems that Catching Fire might just be a fantastic blend of the Lawrence’s directing strengths.

Catching Fire has a release date of November 22, 2013 with the major stars all confirmed for the sequel.

Francis Lawrence Offered Catching Fire Directing Gig

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The Internet has been swirling with rumors over the past week of which director was going to land the coveted gig of directing the sequel to The Hunger Games, called Catching Fire. It was revealed to be between two directors, Francis Lawrence and Bennett Miller. The scramble to find a new director began after director Gary Ross opted out of returning to direct its sequel.

Now, EW has confirmed that Francis Lawrence has been offered the job.

Lawrence (no relation to Jennifer Lawrence, star of the franchise) previously helmed I Am Legend. They have reported that Lawrence won the job after a Miller’s commitment to shoot the biopic Foxcatcher ultimately proved he would not be able to do the film.

It was no secret that Lionsgate needed a new director fast after Ross bowed out. The film was scheduled to begin production this fall in order to stay on course for their already planned release date of November 22, 2013. In order to stay on track, the film must finish shooting by December for production to begin and for Jennifer Lawrence to begin production of her other film, the sequel to X-Men: First Class.

Considering that Catching Fire is on a considerably larger scale with several locations as well as a tropical-type Arena, Lionsgate is putting their trust in Lawrence’s ability to handle this bigger and more exotic canvas of the setting and story. Lawrence already has extensive experience with incorporating visual effects-drive action scenes and large scale worlds from his first two films, 2005′s supernatural thriller Constantine and 2007′s post-apocalyptic thriller I Am Legend. However, despite his ability, one reservation occurs and that is the romantic angle of Catching Fire. Lawrence previously director the drama Water for Elephants, which fizzled at the box office with many critics giving bad reviews for the romance between between Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon. However, the romance between Katniss, played by Jennifer Lawrence, and Peeta, played by Josh Hutcherson, is a huge part of the sequel. Some worry he will stick with the less romance more action angle that the first film put in place, much to the dismay of diehard fans everywhere.

Lawrence will have to prove himself to fans and critics alike for this highly anticipated sequel.

As the sequel to The Hunger Games, Catching Fire continues the story of Katniss and Peeta. Following the events of the previous novel, a rebellion against the oppressive Capitol has begun, and Katniss and fellow tribute Peeta Mellark are forced to return to the arena in a special edition of the Hunger Games in the 75th Hunger Games Quarter Quell.

The sequel will see the return of stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, and Woody Harrelson.

Gary Ross Decides Against Directing Catching Fire

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It was reported earlier this week that director Gary Ross hadn’t signed on to direct the continuation of Hunger Games franchise, but that negotiations were still ongoing. However, it has now been reported that he will not be returning to direct the sequels.

Ross seemed committed to the film over the last few weeks saying,

I’m looking forward to it. Simon Beaufoy [‘Slumdog Millionaire’], who’s a writer I’ve been a fan of for a long, long time, is doing the script. I can’t write the ‘Catching Fire’ script right now because I’m finishing [‘Hunger Games’], and we’re on a schedule where the script has to get written right now. So I’m unbelievably fortunate that someone like Simon is going to be writing the script. […] That’s a thrill. He’s somebody that I respect and I just love his work.”

But apparently, it wasn’t enough as he has decided against it.

Playlist has claimed that the exiting of Ross isn’t as much of a monetary problem as previously reported. While he has decided he would rather not spend so much time in the same story, the low salary offer probably did not help convince him to stay on. Ross was paid $3 million to direct the first film, The Hunger Games and will also reportedly receive a five-percent cut of the backend. But he had asked for a pretty significant raise to do the second film. However, reports have been flying all week that Lionsgate negotiations had gone south and neither party would budge.

Lionsgate will now have to hire someone pretty quickly if they wish to stay on track for their November 22, 2013 release date.

At least one good piece of news for today is that Jennifer Lawrence, who plays main character Katniss, is open to shoot the film on schedule since the production of the new X-Men film has been pushed back to accommodate.

The Hunger Games Accuses Harry Potter Fans of Trademark Violation Over Charitable Campaign

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With the release of The Hunger Games in theaters this past weekend, the film is still fresh on fans minds throughout the world, but it seems the Harry Potter Alliance’s Imagine Better Project is hoping to profit off the fan with their new slogan. However, Lionsgate is not to thrilled with the slogan and has issued a takedown notice to the project.

Lionsgate and The Hunger Games have accused Harry Potter fans of using their intellectual property, by way of the title of the novel and film and using it to promote their cause. The slogan, “Hunger is Not a Game” has been used for campaigning by Harry Potter Alliance’s Imagine Better Project for their charitable cause.

Lionsgate studio claims that the project which is being let by the fan group in partnership with Oxfam is attempting to “piggy back” off their incredibly successful motion picture. The studio also claims that the campaign is causing damage to their studio and their marketing efforts for The Hunger Games. 

SVP Business Affairs & Litigation, Liat Cohen, states in a letter,

We are truly making an effort to work with you on this. We have the ability to take down your sites as a violation of our trademark and other intellectual property laws. We hope that will not be necessary as this is too serious a subject.”

Along with the slogan, Imagine Better also uses references to the movie and the novels by using phrases such as “The Water Games” and the use of “Districts.”

On the other side, an activist has launched a petition in response to Lionsgate, asking fans to support the project and callings for the studio to “to stand with us, not against us.”

Watch Katniss and Cinna Meet In A New Clip From The Hunger Games

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Fans, doesn’t it feel like The Hunger Games will never get here? Well in another day of impatiently waiting, we are being treated to another BRAND NEW clip from the film. The clip comes from the great people over at Lionsgate and debuted on Yahoo! Movies earlier today.

Of course it doesn’t follow the happenings of the Arena, that is being left for movie night, but it does show the fateful first meeting between Katniss and her stylist Cinna, played by Lenny Kravitz.

I have to say, this is a great look into what the actual full film will be like. So far, I haven’t seen hardly anything that will make me think my excitement for the movie is misappropriated. This whole scene captures the over all emotion of the scene in the novel perfectly. If you had doubts about Kravitz playing the role, this clip should definitely ease your mind.

We (thankfully) have only about 2 weeks left till the premiere (where I will be eagerly awaiting my seat in the theater), but there is a chance we might get one more exclusive clip before the big day.

The Hunger Games is the movie adaptation of the bestselling novel by Suzanne Collins. It is followed by the sequels Catching Fire and Mockingjay. 

The plot for the film is as follows:

Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the governing body, the Capitol, of the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. A twisted punishment for a past uprising and an ongoing government intimidation tactic, The Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which “Tributes” must fight with one another until one survivor remains. Katniss Everdeen volunteers as a tribute to save her sister from going in to the ghastly arena. She is joined by Peeta Mellark, a boy she knew who once saved her life.

You can see the official cast below:

  • Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen
  • Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark
  • Woody Harrelson as Haymitch Abernathy
  • Willow Shields as Primrose “Prim” Everdeen
  • Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne
  • Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket
  • Lenny Kravitz as Cinna
  • Paula Malcomson as Mrs. Everdeen
  • Amandla Stenberg as Rue
  • Alexander Ludwig as Cato
  • Dayo Okeniyi as Thresh
  • Isabelle Fuhrman as Clove
  • Jacqueline Emerson as Foxface
  • Leven Rambin as Glimmer
  • Jack Quaid as Marvel
  • Donald Sutherland as President Snow
  • Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman
  • Wes Bentley as Seneca Crane
  • Latarsha Rose as Portia

New Hunger Games Promo And Photo Stills Released

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New Hunger Games content was released today that was met with excitement all around. A new trailer was released that featured the song Safe & Sound. Also released today were new stills from the movie featuring President Snow, Haymitch, Seneca Crane and Katniss.

Even though the movie is pretty close to being released, the media marketing for the film is not ending just yet. Also today, the MPAA has officially released its rating for the film ass PG-13 for “intense violent thematic material and disturbing images – all involving teens.”

The Hunger Games takes place every year in the ruins of what was once North America. The governing body, the Capitol, of the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. A twisted punishment for a past uprising and an ongoing government intimidation tactic, The Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which “Tributes” must fight with one another until one survivor remains. Katniss Everdeen volunteers as a tribute to save her sister from going in to the ghastly arena. She is joined by Peeta Mellark, a boy she knew who once saved her life.

The film is the big screen adaptation of the novel written by Suzanne Collins and was directed by Gary Ross. It stars Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss, Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark, and Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne. It also includes Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, and Lenny Kravitz as supporting characters.

(Personally, I don’t think I could be more excited about this film!)

We have seen tons of new trailers recently, but this one is slightly different. One new scene they actually featured in this trailer was a bigger glimpse into the first meeting between Katniss and Peeta, even if just for a moment. You can watch the new promo video below:

You also get a better look at some of the films supporting characters such as President Snow (Donald Sutherland), former Hunger Games champion Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson), and deadly District 2 “tributes” Cato (Alexander Ludwig) and Clove (Isabelle Furhman). You can see the new images below:

Photos courtesy of Lionsgate and Entertainment Weekly.

The Hunger Games Teaser # 4 Revealed

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We have about a month left till the big screen premiere of The Hunger Games and in case you are like myself, you are probably overly excited for the film. If you need to be satiated till March 23rd, then we have a new teaser you can watch. While it shows pretty much the same stuff that we have already seen in the previous trailers, it is still worth watching.

The Hunger Games is the movie adaptation of the bestselling novel by Suzanne Collins. It is followed by the sequels Catching Fire and Mockingjay. 

The plot for the film is as follows:

Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the governing body, the Capitol, of the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. A twisted punishment for a past uprising and an ongoing government intimidation tactic, The Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which “Tributes” must fight with one another until one survivor remains. Katniss Everdeen volunteers as a tribute to save her sister from going in to the ghastly arena. She is joined by Peeta Mellark, a boy she knew who once saved her life.

You can see the official cast below:

  • Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen
  • Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark
  • Woody Harrelson as Haymitch Abernathy
  • Willow Shields as Primrose “Prim” Everdeen
  • Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne
  • Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket
  • Lenny Kravitz as Cinna
  • Paula Malcomson as Mrs. Everdeen
  • Amandla Stenberg as Rue
  • Alexander Ludwig as Cato
  • Dayo Okeniyi as Thresh
  • Isabelle Fuhrman as Clove
  • Jacqueline Emerson as Foxface
  • Leven Rambin as Glimmer
  • Jack Quaid as Marvel
  • Donald Sutherland as President Snow
  • Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman
  • Wes Bentley as Seneca Crane
  • Latarsha Rose as Portia
You can watch the new teaser trailer for The Hunger Games below:

Watch The Two Official Television Spots for The Hunger Games

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Lionsgate has officially started airing two new TV spots for The Hunger Games. This big screen adaptation of the novel by Suzanne Collins is being directed by Gary Ross.

Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the governing body, the Capitol, of the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. A twisted punishment for a past uprising and an ongoing government intimidation tactic, The Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which “Tributes” must fight with one another until one survivor remains. Katniss Everdeen volunteers as a tribute to save her sister from going in to the ghastly arena. She is joined by Peeta Mellark, a boy she knew who once saved her life.

You can see the official cast below:

  • Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen
  • Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark
  • Woody Harrelson as Haymitch Abernathy
  • Willow Shields as Primrose “Prim” Everdeen
  • Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne
  • Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket
  • Lenny Kravitz as Cinna
  • Paula Malcomson as Mrs. Everdeen
  • Amandla Stenberg as Rue
  • Alexander Ludwig as Cato
  • Dayo Okeniyi as Thresh
  • Isabelle Fuhrman as Clove
  • Jacqueline Emerson as Foxface
  • Leven Rambin as Glimmer
  • Jack Quaid as Marvel
  • Donald Sutherland as President Snow
  • Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman
  • Wes Bentley as Seneca Crane
  • Latarsha Rose as Portia

The Hunger Games novel is followed by Catching Fire and Mockingjay. The film will hit theaters on March 23 and you can see the two television spots below:


Let the Twilight Games Begin!

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It’s official, there is no deity out there looking out for our best interests. All viewings of The Hunger Games in theaters will be preceded by a trailer of Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2.

This move was announced by Lionsgate to investors during a hoity-toity third quarter business call.

I’m sure this was to assure investors that yes, we’re still doing our absolute best in milking our target demographic. Or to infer that the success of one movie will transfer by osmosis and contribute to the success of their latest venture. The basic message, “You’re guaranteed to make money on this!” This was an expected marketing move as Lionsgate recently acquired Summit Entertainment, which previously distributed the “Twilight Saga” films.

Lionsgate Chief Executive Officer Jon Feltheimer said:

“We’re very excited about the opportunities created by our recent acquisition of Summit Entertainment. The February 11 home entertainment release of ‘Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn 1,’ the March 23 theatrical release of ‘Hunger Games’ and the November 16 theatrical release of ‘Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn 2’ lead a strong combined slate that we believe will enable us to deliver increased consistency, profitability and value to our shareholders.”

As with all corporate goons, I picture someone wearing a Bela Lugosi vampire type costume while talking about the value of money. Possibly with a fangy accent.

The Hunger Games is another fantasy novel aimed at young female teens, but while Twilight is a fantasy novel where men act the way woman want them to, the Hunger Games is more like the Japanese cult classic film, Battle Royal; where the worst school children are shipped off to an island with exploding collars and issued random weapons to kill one another. So both films; Twilight and the Hunger Games; feature female leads in weird love triangles… So I heard. I swear I haven’t read the books.

As there are twice as much women in the world as men; that live longer by feeding off of us; these contemporary, “Chick flicks” do their best to cash in on the myth that love is real. I won’t be surprised if these movies are remastered in the future using the George Lucas method; slowly re-releasing with never seen before cut footage in special box sets.

Why would they do this? For this I examined what Mina Kelly of Boomtron had to say about Twilight products,

“Fans will likely look past all the blood and gore focusing more on the love story of Bella and Edward. Rewinding and Fast-forwarding to their favourite bits and pieces of the movie which DVD’s and Blu-Rays lend very well to. The idea of the romantic vampire and immortal love is indeed held in very high esteem by the young adult. While everyone likes a good love story, I remember when vampires were brutal, undead killing machines, not sparkling pretty boys.”

When videos used to be rented on VHS, I recall getting movies that would play at weird speeds at certain scenes.  As if someone had rewound it to that spot and paused a countless number of times for some unwholesome reason.

Oh yes, fans will see it in the theater and buy it as well, many, many times over to come. What a gullible fan base. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some Star Wars remastered lego clone animation on Blu-Ray to watch.