Lionsgate exploring Hunger Games prequels and sequels

More proof that studios need to beat every living ounce of something great.

Lionsgate announced earlier that Mockingjay - Part 2 will be released in IMAX 3D, but we also got a bit of information from CEO John Feltheimer regarding the future of The Hunger Games franchise. Apparently the studio is exploring options for expansion not limited to sequels and/or prequels to the original trilogy.

The Hunger Games has earned over $2 billion at the box office so far, but it's very unlikely that our main stars would continue doing Hunger Games films even after the second half of Mockingjay is released this November. Depending on how close they stayed to the end of the book, Katniss and Peeta would be long gone by the time any sequels came to be.
This is obviously a get rich scheme and it's disgusting. The focus shifted off Twilight so now they're trying to push forward The Hunger Games. I don't approve.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire - Review

After their victory in the 74th Hunger Games sparks a rebellion across the districts of Panem, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark return to the arena to fight against other surviving victors in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.


I just have to start by saying this was a great movie and a pretty decent book to film adaptation. I personally enjoyed it more than The Hunger Games and I found it was a lot closer to the source material. Obviously, there were things left out but a majority of what is in the film was in the book. That was a big breath of fresh air. Especially after The Hunger Games had so much missing and had a lot of new things incorporated into the plot.
Starting off with direction, I think Francis Lawrence did a much better job than Gary Ross. The movie itself had a much better flow and it was a lot smoother than The Hunger Games was. I also think the actors had a lot more purpose than they did before.
As far as acting goes, I thought some people did a better job while some people floundered a bit. I thought Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Banks, and Woody Harrelson were fantastic and much better this time around. I'm not saying they were bad in the first movie, but they were more enjoyable and just better this time around. Jennifer Lawrence was the confusing one for me. She was great in The Hunger Games and had her moments in Catching Fire as well, but I feel like she wasn't really trying during the first half of the movie. I don't know if it was intentional to show how damaged Katniss had become or if she is just one of those actresses that has elements she is good and bad at. It was a bit off. I also want to take the moment to say that I cannot stand Liam Hemsworth. They could have cast a much better actor as Gale. I feel like he was cast based on physical appearance and the fact that his brother is Thor.
Regarding the new characters, I thought a majority of the casting was marvelous. Sam Claflin, Jena Malone, Jeffrey Wright, Amanda Plummer, and Lynn Cohen were such great choices, specifically Malone and Wright. I thought Beetee and Johanna were portrayed beautifully. Sam Claflin surprised me a bit, too. I won't say that his portrayal is exactly how I envisioned Finnick Odair when I read the books, but it wasn't necessarily bad. Another newcomer is Philip Seymour Hoffman who I thought did a great job as Plutarch Heavensbee, the new gamemaker. He was very believable as the character.

Now I want to talk about aspects of the movie that have spoilers, so if you haven't seen Catching Fire yet and/or didn't read the books I encourage you to come back once you have. You don't want it ruined for you.

Two new posters for Catching Fire featuring the Victory Tour

I squealed a little bit.

UPDATE: Jeffrey Wright cast in Catching Fire

Jeffrey Wright (Casino Royale, Source Code) is the newest addition to the cast of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Wright has been cast as Beetee, a former victor from District 3 and is somewhat of an electronics expert. Click the jump for spoiler info on Beetee.

Jena Malone WILL play Johanna Mason in Catching Fire

It is confirmed! Jena Malone (Stepmom, Sucker Punch) will play the role of Johanna Mason in Catching Fire, the upcoming sequel to The Hunger Games.

I mentioned this last week and I was excited for this possibility. Now that it has been confirmed I am even more excited. I really like Jena Malone and I think she is going to be a fantastic Johanna. Now all we need is for them to cast Finnick and we'll be all set when it comes to the absolute major characters.

Another shameless plug for The Hunger Games

As I mentioned before, my buddy Cameron created a forum for The Hunger Games trilogy and we're trying to build up the membership. It's free and will be a lot of fun once we get some more members. If you are a fan of either the books or the movie, or both, come on and join. We don't bite.

The goal is to try and build it up similar to what House of Jigsaw was for the Saw franchise. That is actually how I met Cameron was through HOJ. We had VIP members on HOJ from the Saw franchise (James Wan, Darren Bousman, Leigh Whannell, Peter Outerbridge, Betsy Russell, etc.) and the other goal is to try and get VIP members from The Hunger Games. Cam is already trying to snag Jennifer Lawrence and we're trying to get some smaller characters as well. Hopefully once Catching Fire gets rolling we'll be able to build it up a bit more.

So please guys, if you want to discuss some Hunger Games with us come on and try it out. Hell, come and talk about anything with us. We have a subforum for general discussion. Once we get more members we will probably add some more subforums similar to what HOJ had (music, other movies, etc.). Don't be shy. =^D

http://www.thehungergames-trilogy.com/forum.php

Gary Ross drops out of Catching Fire

This move I don't really understand, especially after the tremendous success of The Hunger Games. I just hope they get someone who knows what the fuck they are doing for both Catching Fire and Mockingjay.

http://bloody-disgusting.com/news/206688/the-hunger-games-sequel-catching-fire-needs-a-new-director/

The Hunger Games - the forum

My friend Cameron just started up a forum for The Hunger Games. I'm already there and posting. Come join us and bring a friend! And if you spam I will personally cuss you out. Just fyi.

http://www.thehungergames-trilogy.com/forum.php


Fun Fact: Cameron's girlfriend was an extra in the movie.

The Hunger Games opens with $155 million

It earned a spot in the top 3 box office openings of all time trailing behind Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 ($169.2) and The Dark Knight ($158.4). This also means it smashed all 4 existing Twilight Saga openings, including New Moon, thus smashing any and all comparisons between the two stories. At least that's my opinion. The Hunger Games is better and this is another piece of the puzzle to prove it. Apparently, it has also become Lionsgate's highest grossing film to date.

And this is only the first movie. We still have Catching Fire and Mockingjay. =^D


We'll see if this record will hold up once The Dark Knight Rises is released. I think it has a chance, especially since we don't have the international numbers in just yet, but we'll wait and see. 



http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3401