Tag Archives: The Hunger Games

Francis Lawrence Signs On To Direct Mockingjay Part 1 and 2

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When Gary Ross left the The Hunger Games franchise after the first film, it was up in the air whether or not new director Francis Lawrence would stick around. Thankfully, he recently announced that he would be also helming the two part adaptation of the final novel, Mockingjay. 

Lawrence came in to take over directing the second adaptation of Catching Fire which is currently filming in Atlanta.

Franchise star, Josh Hutcherson, who plays Peeta Mellark, commented on the new director saying,

“He’s fantastic. He’s such a smart guy. He has some great ideas for the movie. I just really like where his head is at. I really like him a lot.”

Catching Fire also sees the addition of several new cast members as fans are given a whole new set of tributes for the 75th Hunger Games Quarter Quell. Main cast members Jennifer Lawrence, Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, and Elizabeth Banks also return.

New cast members include Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Plutarch Heavensbee, Sam Claflin as Finnick Odair, Jeffrey Wright as Beetee, Amanda Plummer as Wiress, Jena Malone as Johanna Mason, Lynn Cohen as Mags, Meta Golding as Enobaria, Bruno Gunn as Brutus, Alan Ritchson as Gloss, E. Roger Mitchell as Chaff, Maria Howell as Seeder, Stephanie Leigh Schlund as Cashmere.

Catching Fire will hit theaters on November 22, 2013.

The Starving Games

Maiara Walsh to Play Kantmiss Evershot in ‘The Starving Games’

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The Starving Games

Katniss Everdeen is the very popular main character in the Suzanne Collins best seller, The Hunger Games. Jennifer Lawrence brings her to life in the film version and now Maiara Walsh will spoof The Games in a new parody called The Starving Games.

Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer may as well be the kings of spoofdom. Their devious comedic minds came up with Date Movie, Meet the Spartans and Vampires Suck. Now they have re-teamed for The Starving Games script. They’ll share directing responsibilities, too. Like many of their films, The Hunger Games isn’t the only film providing material for them to poke fun at. The Avengers, Sherlock Holmes and Harry Potter also get cracked about in the upcoming comedy. Sounds like a good time to me. Maybe Iron Man will appear in the woods.

The fresh-faced Ms. Maiara Walsh currently acts as the troublesome Simone Sinclair on ABC Family’s Switched at Birth series. She knows her way around a young adult themed set. She has appeared on The Secret Life of the American Teenager and CW network series, The Vampire Diaries. Her character’s name in this one: Kantmiss Evershot, has already won a chuckle from this Hunger Games fan.

Speaking of young adult actors, from the set of Pretty Little Liars, come Brant Daugherty, who has been chosen to co-star with Walsh, playing the parody version of Gale. Gale is the best friend and hunting partner of Katniss in the original film and acted there by Liam Hemsworth.

The Starving Games is financed by Peter Safran, whoo also produced Scary Movie, Vampires Suck and Buried. Hey, that last one wasn’t funny! Filming will begin this week in New Orleans.

As much as I adore The Hunger Games, I’m sure it won’t be difficult to make fun of the plot and setting. As for the real thing, the sequel, Catching Fire is coming to the big screen in November of 2013. If you thought Katniss’ first Hunger Games was harrowing, wait until you witness The Quarter Quell. Brand new cast members include: Toby Jones as Claudius Templesmith, Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Plutarch Heavensbee, Sam Claflin as Finnick Odair (Yes, you can swoon now, ladies!), Jeffrey Wright as Beetee, Amanda Plummer as Wiress, temptress Jena Malone as Johanna Mason, and Meta Golding as the dangerous Enobaria.

I’m still not convinced Cladlin was the best choice for Finnick, but I’ll give him a chance. I like Jena Malone as Johanna Mason, but it wouldn’t have hurt to give the part to Kristen Bell.

Writer Danny Strong Joins ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay’

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The Hunger Games: Mockingjay

I’ll admit I was hoping the circumstances behind The Hunger Games movie could be repeated for all the sequels. The screenplay for that film, the first adaptation based upon the series of best sellers penned by Suzanne Collins, was written by the man who was also the director, Mr. Gary Ross. He had some help from Collins, the author herself, and screenwriter Billy Ray. That’s the writer behind Hart’s War and State of Play, not the country music singer.

I guess keeping this formula was a wish that couldn’t be granted. When we look back at the Twilight movies and The Harry Potter series, directorial duties often changed hands from sequel to sequel. It’s probably a lot to ask of one director to commit so many years to one franchise. Of course, the actors do it, don’t they? And in these particular cases, they are young actors, so there’s a bit of a rush to push these film adaptations out before they age too much and can’t believably portray their characters anymore. The nice thing is, we do see characters like these grow up as their stories unravel, so a little aging is natural and it works.

At any rate, film two in The Hunger Games series is called Catching Fire. It premiers November 22, 2013 from Lionsgate and has a screenplay by Simon Beaufoy and Michael Arndt. Beaufoy won both a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay when he penned Slumdog Millionaire, which means two things. For one, the Catching Fire script is in wonderful hands. For another, this man knows adaptations. He wrote the big screen adaptation of Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, which was one of the most believably adorable romances I’ve seen in years. Catching Fire will be directed by Water for Elephants director Francis Lawrence.

It is the third film in the franchise, Mockingjay, which is making headlines this week. The writer doing the adapting for the screenplay for that installment will be Danny Strong.

I recognized Strong’s face right away as belonging to the actor who was Paris Geller’s boyfriend Doyle McMasters on the set of Gilmore Girls. Remember him? Well he also writes screenplays. In fact, he wrote the film adaptation of Game Change, which was based on the book written by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin called Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime. I know that’s a mouthful, but just remember it’s the film Julianne Moore portrays Sarah Palin. Strong has two Emmy Awards. That’s nothing to sneeze at. Rumor has it he was approached about doing an adaptation of Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol, too.

The Hunger Games is on DVD now. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire opens on November 22nd, 2013 and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 is slated for November 21st, 2014. It will be followed by Part 2 on November 20th, 2015, provided there’s no apocalypse before that time, and we don’t find ourselves living in a real life dystopian society like the one in The Hunger Games.

Jena Malone

Jena Malone ‘Catching Fire’ Talks Intense Training

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Jena Malone

Last March The Hunger Games took cinemas by storm. The hot, action sequel, Catching Fire makes its debut November 22, 2013. Although the stars who survived The Hunger Games and live on to tell their tales will be returning, Catching Fire also brings with it some new faces. One of those fresh faces belongs to 27-year-old Jena Malone. She’s on fire in more ways than one.

The Hunger Games trilogy is bloody popular. I know several men who have read the popular young adult dystopian series penned by Suzanne Collins, and I just can’t say that about Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight, nor her stand alone work, The Host. The material is action-packed, easy to relate to, at times harrowing, and delivered via the perspective of Katniss Everdeen, a strong, capable, flawed character men and women both seem to love. I say all that to say this: Who doesn’t want to be a member of the cast for the film adaptations? That makes the actors actually chosen for films feel pretty lucky. Jena Malone is no exception.

I’m very excited as well, it’s going to be great,” Malone said. “I just love the books so much. I literally read all three in four days and just was crying at the end. I’m really, really excited to be a part of it.”

Many of us have similar stories about the way we first read The Hunger Games. There’s something shared, something universal about these books.

Malone gets the chance to bring to life District 7’s Johanna Mason. Most of Suzanne Collins’ characters are multi-layered and complex, but Johanna is also fearless, raucous and sexy. For that reason, Malone was an excellent choice to play her. She not only has a feisty side, but she has the acting chops to play real depth. If any actress is going to fit into the shoes of a lady who intimidates Katniss, it’s Malone. Malone also has some experience with physical work and that’s coming in handy right about now.

Oh yeah, I’m in the thick of [training] but excited,” she said. “I love that kind of stuff. Sucker Punch kind of got me into a regimen and now I kind of crave it.”

Johanna Mason is a former Hunger Games tribute and champion of the Games. This means she’s a bit older than Katniss and has become a mentor to new tributes. That mentor role, the role Haymich played for Katniss and Peeta, is also a role the District 12 sweethearts, the archer and the baker, get to play moving forward. Mind you, Johanna may have an axe to grind. Follow my logic. If she’s a mentor, and Katniss and Peeta won the last Games, they likely killed the Tributes Mason was mentoring. Oops.

Johanna also gets more and more involved as we go deeper into the story.

In Catching Fire audiences will become familiar with the Quarter Quell, a set of Games with especially treacherous circumstances. As if they weren’t terrible enough already? This year President Snow will decree that former winners get put back in the lottery to compete in the horror yet again. That means Haymitch’s name could be drawn…or Katniss or Peeta’s! And yes, Johanna will be back in contention to be drawn within her district, too.

The only sad bit of news is that Kristen Bell, who is obsessed with The Hunger Games, won’t be playing Johanna Mason. I think she also could have done a good job with the role.

Catching Fire will be directed by Francis Lawrence. Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth reprise their roles. Phillip Seymour Hoffman has been cast as new Gamemaker Plutarch Heavensbee. Sam Claflin won the much coveted role of Finnick Odair.

Jeffrey Wright confirmed as Beetee in Catching Fire

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The Hunger Games was one of the biggest films of 2012 and you can bet the sequel, Catching Fire, will likewise set fans a-flame. As we are counting down to the November 22nd, 2013 release date, final casting decisions continue to pour in. The character of the hour is Beetee, a tribute from District 3. Actor Jeffrey Wright has won the role.

You heard the exciting news right here when the much-anticipated and highly coveted role of literary hottie Finnick Odair, finally went to actor Sam Claflin. In my opinion, the choice of Claflin has been the most controversial. Do you think the actor, who many have said they barely noticed opposite Kristen Stewart and Chris Hemsworth in Snow White and the Huntsman, can pull of playing the charismatic and complex role of Finnick?

As for Jeffrey Wright, film fanatics should recognize the actor’s face. He has appeared in Source Code and Syriana and has played the character of Felix, James Bond’s American pal, in both Casino Royale and in Quantum Of Solace. Unfortunately, I haven’t noticed Wright’s name mentioned in conjunction with the new Bond film, Skyfall. That’s too bad.

In 2008 he brought to life the musician, Muddy Waters, in Cadillac Records and even has a Tony Award thanks to his work in Angels in America.

I particularly enjoyed Wright’s work in The Ides of March, where he had the chance to play a quite unlikable senator. Sometimes it’s those flawed characters that allow actors to flex even more theatrical muscle.

If you have yet to read the Suzanne Collins penned sequel to The Hunger Games, you are probably thinking Wright seems a wee bit older than your average Tribute. You’re correct. Without giving too much away, I can tell you one of the prominent features of the second installment of the Games is an event called the Quarter Quell. It occurs every 25 years and is an excuse for the Gamemakers from the Capital to be extra nasty.

Their cruelty allows Katniss and Peeta to meet former champions from the other Districts. Among these are a pair nicknamed Nuts and Volts. The real names of Nuts and Volts are Wiress and Beetee. District 3, their home, is famous for the production of electronics. Beetee is a very intelligent man whose importance continues on through the rest of the series. I think this was really stellar casting. I can picture Wright sinking his teeth into this role and disappearing into character.

Of course, most of the casting thus far has been particularly wonderful. This is what happens when a book adaptation is fortunate enough to get a team of filmmakers who genuinely care about getting things right.

What I also is love is the onslaught of “serious” actors being attached to the film. Case in point is critically acclaimed thespian, Phillip Seymour Hoffman joining the cast as Plutarch Heavensbee. Hey, how do you like that? Hoffman was also a part of the political thriller The Ides of March, opposite Wright, Ryan Gosling and George Clooney. Plutarch becomes the new Head Gamemaker after Seneca Crane, Gamemaker from the first film, is executed for being such a royal screw up. Crane was, of course, acted by actor Wes Bentley.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire will be directed by Francis Lawrence. His previous films include I am Legend, starring Will Smith, and Water for Elephants, starring Robert Pattinson.

Sam Claflin Officially Confirmed As Finnick Odair In Catching Fire

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After weeks of rumors that Sam Claflin had been offered the role of trident wielding hunk Finnick Odair in Catching Fire, Lionsgate has officially confirmed that he will play the role.

Claflin, most known for his role on Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, is one of the final tributes to have been cast for the upcoming sequel. Finnick is a previous victor from the 65th Hunger Games when he was just 14. He is known for his proficiency with a trident as well as being a strong swimmer. He is charming and incredibly handsome and is used by the Capitol because of his good looks.

The role of Finnick had several rumors over the months of who would gain the pivotale role. Actors such as Taylor Kitsch and Garrett Hedlund were thrown about at different points.

Claflin joins fellow newcomers Jena Malone as Johanna Mason and Lynn Cohen as Mags(an elderly ally of Finnick’s), as well as returning players Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen and Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark. Directed by Francis Lawrence, “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” sets screens ablaze on November 22, 2013.

The Hunger Games DVD Release Breaks Records

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After dominating the box office for four weeks straight when it was first released, The Hunger Games continues to exceed expectation as it continues to dominate DVD sales as well.

Lionsgate announced that is has sold over 3.8 million DVD and Blu-ray copies during its release weekend. (This writer purchasing one of those copies, so whoo for making a tiny, insignificant difference!)

The movie is also in high demand digitally on platforms such as Zune Video and Zbox.

When compared to other dvd releases:

On the first day of Avatar 2D’s release in 2010, Century Fox reported 3.2 million disc sales (2 million DVD, 1.2 million Blu-ray).

Similarly, “The Dark Knight” sold 3 million copies on day one in U.S. and Canada.

“Twilight: Breaking Dawn–Part I” currently holds the top amount of units sold for the year with $5.2 million, according to thenumbers.com, a number it will surely pass in weeks to come.

Take a look at the top selling DVDs by year for the past five years:

  • 2011: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” – 7 million units
  • 2010: “Avatar” – 10.1 million units
  • 2009: “Twilight” – 10.2 million units
  • 2008: “The Dark Knight” – 10.9 million units
  • 2007: “Pirates of the Caribbean – At World’s End” – 13.6 million units

I can only imagine how succesfull the film’s sequel, Catching Fire will be when it releases in theaters November 22, 2013.

Josh Hutcherson Talks Catching Fire

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The Hunger Games official DVD was released this week and recently the star of the film and subsequent films, Josh Hutcherson sat down and answered questions about the world phenomenon series.

Hutcherson plays Peeta Mellark, the fellows District 12 tribute alongside Katniss Everdeen. But just because he has been in the media for a while already doesn’t mean he isn’t still nervous.

“I was really nervous about it to be honest,” Hutcherson said about embarking on the film franchise, based on a trilogy of best-selling books by Suzanne Collins. “It’s crazy because living up to ‘The Hunger Games‘ coming out, everybody was talking about how it’s going to change everything, your whole life — it’s going to be so different,” he explained. “I like my life! I didn’t want that to happen and it didn’t… I’m still me and I’m still doing my normal things that I have always done.”

Hutcherson also spoke about the fans of the series and their passion.

“‘Hunger Games fans’ are ravenous and extremely passionate.  They’re the absolute best,” he said.

And when he says passionate, he isn’t lying.  Hutcherson remembered a time when fans showed up at his home in Kentucky.

“I had a couple of fans who showed at my doorstep in Kentucky,” he said, adding that they arrived the day after Christmas last year. “They just wanted to meet me and say ‘hi.’ They were freaking out and crying.  They drove eight hours on the chance that I might be home…  That was intense.  I was like, ‘Whoa!  This is my home in Kentucky.  Why are you here?’  It was crazy.  There are some crazy fans out there.”

Now that the DVD has been released, Hutcherson is looking toward the future and the filming of Catching Fire, the second film in the series.

I’m so excited it’s finally here, the time to start making it is finally here. I can’t wait to get shooting.” Given that a script didn’t exist just a few short months ago, it’s hard to believe everything is, in fact, prepped. But it is, according to Hutcherson: “I do have a script in hand and it’s awesome.  I love it so much,” Hutcherson confirmed, revealing that he met with newly-installed director Francis Lawrence (“I Am Legend,” 2007, “Water for Elephants,” 2011) to discuss the film’s vision. “We talked about how important it was to really make the movie version of the book and that was Francis’s goal from day one — and the script definitely portrays that.  It’s a very true-to-the-book rendition of the movie.”

Hutcherson also confirmed that fans will see a bigger and buffer Peeta this time around.

 “I’ve been working out a lot, getting back in the right shape for the role — because this last year, I sort of split my time and enjoyed myself — so I’ve been paying for that for the last month-and-a-half or so, getting back into the gym and eating healthy,” Hutcherson said.

One of the most enticing subplots of the series is the love triangle between the lead characters, Peeta, Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence), and Gale (Liam Hemsworth).

“It’s such a tough position that I know Peeta is put in where he is in absolute love with this girl and she acts like she’s in love with him, but he knows that she isn’t — and that is heartbreaking. As an actor, it’s something that I’m really excited play because it’s such a a conflicting emotion… It’s a very conflicting, confusing kind of thing and I can’t wait to play it out.  It’s really, really intense and exciting, I think.”

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is set to be released in theaters November 22, 2013. Filming will begin soon and will see all the lead characters returning.

Amazon Crowns ‘Hunger Games’ as Its Top Seller

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The captivating Harry Potter series has been dethroned as Amazon’s best seller by The Hunger Games.

Amazon announced friday that Katniss Everdeen and co. have surpassed the wizards of Hogwarts as the company’s best selling series. The sales include print and e-book formats, making the “Hunger Games” trilogy Amazon’s best-selling series.

The Hunger Games was written by Suzanne Collins and has since captivated the world in both print and film.

Sara Nelson, the editorial director of books and Kindle at Amazon, said in a statement that since the debut of “The Hunger Games” in 2008, the series has “taken the world by storm, much as Harry Potter did a decade before.”

“Interestingly, this series is only three books versus Harry Potter’s seven, and to achieve this result in just four years is a great testament to both the popularity of the work and, we think, the growth in reading digitally during that time,” she said.

Sarah Gelman, a spokeswoman for Amazon, declined to produce specific sales figures. Kyle Good, a spokeswoman for Scholastic, the publisher of both series, said that Scholastic has 150 million copies of the Harry Potter series and more than 50 million copies of the “Hunger Games” series in print in the United States.

The second film adaptation of the Hunger Games series, Catching Fire is scheduled to be released on November 22, 2013.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Casts Another Tribute: Cashmere

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Lionsgate has been having a field day releasing the names of each new tribute one by one. Today they have announced that Stephanie Leigh Schlund has been cast in the role of Cashmere, the former female victor from District 1 who is reaped along side her brother Gloss.

Cashmere and Gloss are both tributes for the 75th Hunger Games Quarter Quell, a special anniversary Games in which all the tributes are former victors. Cashmere and Gloss ( to be played by Alan Ritchson) had won their games fairly recently as Katniss remembers watching them when she was younger. Both are in their mid twenties and a part of the career pack. On Day 2 of the Third Quarter Quell, both are killed by Johanna and Katniss. Katniss shoots an arrow into Gloss’ right temple, while Johanna Mason throws an axe into Cashmere’s chest.

Stephanie Leigh Schlund is best known for appearing in several television series including “Drop Dead Diva,” and films including The Last Song. She can next be seen in the upcoming Fox series “The Following,” premiering this fall.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire picks up right after the first novel as Katniss and Peeta deal with the aftermath of returning home both as Victors. However, 6 months after returning home, they must embark on a victory tour throughout all the Districts. Along the way Katniss senses that a rebellion is simmering, but the Capitol is still very much in control as President Snow prepares the 75th Annual Hunger Games (The Quarter Quell) – a competition that could change Panem forever.

The film will be directed by Francis Lawrence, and produced by Nina Jacobson’s Color Force in tandem with producer Jon Kilik. The novel is the second of the series written by Suzanne Collins.

Lionsgate will release The Hunger Games: Catching Fire on November 22, 2013.