Video: Josh Hutcherson Introduces The Hunger Games Adventures Expansion

Funtactix, developers of The Hunger Games Adventures Facebook game, posted a video of Josh Hutcherson introducing the latest game expansion.

Josh Hutcherson introduces the latest expansion to The Hunger Games Adventures – the official Facebook game of The Hunger Games. In the latest chapter, the adventures continue as you make a heroic escape from the confines of District 12 and arrive in the splendor and excess of the Capitol. Upon arrival you will be greeted by Effie Trinket, who will act as your guide to the Capitol. Through your exploration, you will encounter other familiar characters such as everyone’s favorite stylist — Cinna. Join Effie and Cinna in the Capitol today by going to http://www.PlayTHGA.com

Fan-Made Photo: Katniss and Peeta

Source: http://tinderbox210.tumblr.com

Fathead Launches Line of Hunger Games Wall Graphics

You can now decorate your walls with official Hunger Games graphics from Fathead. These will dress up any space much better than a poster can! Check them all out at Fathead.com.

Here is press release from Fathead with all the details:

Fathead, the leading brand of officially licensed and custom wall graphics, releases THE HUNGER GAMES Collection of Fathead wall graphics. The special edition of eight, vibrant, action-packed images feature the larger-than-life characters from the blockbuster film adaptation of the bestselling book by Suzanne Collins.

THE HUNGER GAMES Collection of Fathead wall graphics include; a stunning mural close-up of Katniss Everdeen and life-sized, die-cut REAL.BIG’s of Katniss and friend Gale Hawthorne along with fellow tribute Peeta Mellark. A one-of-a-kind REAL.BIG die-cut of all 3 characters on one sheet and a powerful replica of THE HUNGER GAME insignia complete the REAL.BIG collection. There are also two more space-friendly images available of Katniss and the insignia in the Fathead Junior size.

Video: The Civil Wars Perform ‘Kingom Come’ on Jimmy Kimmel Live

The Civil Wars were the musical guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live last night and performed “Kingdom Come,” their song from The Hunger Games soundtrack.

Variety: What Lionsgate Needs to do to Meet ‘Catching Fire’ Deadline

A new article from Variety takes a look at the 19-month window Lionsgate has to get Catching Fire from script to theater. Filming needs to wrap by the end of the year since Jennifer Lawrence is needed on X-Men beginning in January 2013, and according to Variety, “Lionsgate is holding firm to its Nov. 22, 2013 release date for Catching Fire, a spokeswoman confirmed Wednesday.”

The good news is that Variety doesn’t think Lionsgate will have any problem meeting this deadline, provided that they clear these hurdles:

• It needs to sign a director whose late-summer schedule is open and can immediately begin working with “Slumdog Millionaire” screenwritier Simon Beaufoy, who’s still crafting the “Fire” script.
• Though Lionsgate has the lead actors (Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth and Woody Harrelson) locked in for the sequels, the stunning performance of “Hunger Games” means the company may feel the need to sweeten their deals — even if it’s not contractually obligated to do so.
• Once a director is on board, he or she needs to cast about two dozen additional actors who were not in “The Hunger Games.”

Variety notes that “none of these tasks is insurmountable, and bizzers expect Lionsgate to meet its deadlines.”

“I don’t think it’s a big problem,” said one tenpercenter who covers Lionsgate. “It would have been a problem if it were the first film, but now you already have the infrastructure in place for the next film.”

You can read the full article at Variety (though it requires a subscription).

Fan-Made Photos: Katniss, Peeta and Rue

Source: http://theyrenotgonnapickyou.tumblr.com/

The Pros and Cons of Gary Ross Leaving The Hunger Games

In the wake of the news that Gary Ross has exited The Hunger Games franchise, Vulture has made a list of Pros and Cons for the director switch for Catching Fire.

Pros:

Does this mean less shakycam?

Ross certainly brought a novel visual approach to this nascent franchise, eschewing carefully composed shots for a jittery, handheld feel. That said, would anyone be mad if the new Catching Fire director found a tripod? Our commenters were in full revolt against Ross’s shakycam, complaining, “I haven’t left a movie feeling this sick since The Blair Witch Project,” and ”That camera literally made me ill … If the second movie is like that, we won’t be going.” Which brings us to our next point …

The next director may be better at shooting action.

Ross has a background in scripting populist films like Dave and Pleasantville, and the best moments in The Hunger Games are the ones that come before the titular games begin, when Ross can simply put Jennifer Lawrence in a room opposite someone else and have her effectively sell the movie’s emotional stakes with that resolute stare. Unfortunately, when Katniss is finally forced to play the Games, Ross has no particular flair for shooting them. His protagonist’s usual strategy is to climb the nearest tree to avoid her competitors, but since Ross stubbornly refuses to give us wide shots, he’s got no way to convey even a simple establishing detail like how high up she’s climbed. The other action beats fare no better: The camera is so agitated that we can barely even tell what’s going on, let alone where each character is in relation to one another. If Lionsgate could somehow land a new director who’s talented at conveying space in an action sequence — Robert Zemeckis would be our dream choice, and he’s available — we might actually look forward to the Games, instead of dreading them like Katniss does.

Less fidelity to the source material may be a good thing.

Ross worked very closely with Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins on his adaptation, and she’s credited as a co-writer. Though it was good of him to include her, and the film pleased many Hunger Games diehards by being so faithful to the book, we’ve read the screenplay that Billy Ray wrote before Ross came onboard … and it’s notably better. Ray took a few liberties with the source material — his version has a brief prologue set a year before the main story, which lets him begin with action and introduce Katniss in a far more striking way — but he actually manages to nail some plot points that Ross muddled (like the ambiguity of the Katniss-Peeta showmance) by adapting the book in a less literal-minded fashion. Lionsgate was smart to hire Simon Beaufoy to script Catching Firewhile Ross was still busy working on the first movie, and let’s hope that the new director benefits from a similarly fresh perspective.

Cons:

They just pissed off the actors.

Ross was beloved by series stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, and Elizabeth Banks, and by replacing him just a few weeks after The Hunger Games opened, they’ve destabilized a cast that was previously eager to reteam with Ross. While his visual sense was divisive, Ross did a great job with casting the franchise, and he directed Lawrence to give an already iconic performance. Will the actors be as capable in the hands of a hastily hired replacement, and might they resent the studio for it? (Certainly, we don’t need this crew to start acting as surly on their publicity tours as the cast of the Twilight franchise, which never had a single steward to keep them humble.)

Fan-Made Photo: Peeta & Katniss

“The count of three,” he says

We stand, our backs pressed together, our empty hands locked tight.

“Hold them out. I want everyone to see,” he says.

Source: http://theyrenotgonnapickyou.tumblr.com

NextMovie weighs in on Who Should Direct Catching Fire

After the official announcement that director Gary Ross will not be directing Catching Fire, NextMovie is getting a jump start at looking for new potential directors to take the directors seat for The Hunger Games sequel. Here are just a few of the directors on their list.

Steven Soderbergh

We’ve already gotten a taste of what director Steven Soderbergh can bring to the “Hunger Games” fold, as he did second unit work on the first installment and brought forth that nail-biting revolution in District 11 sequence. So, we have little doubt that Soderbergh could ably carry on the tone, message and feel of the franchise. Our friends at Hollywood Crush dig him as the next in line as well. Only problem is, he’s got his hands full with ”The Side Effects.”

Peter Jackson

If he could squeeze it into his very busy ”The Hobbit” schedule, director Peter Jackson would be an excellent choice for “Catching Fire.” Not only is he a proven book-to-film aficionado by way of “The Lord of the Rings” series, but he’s also an actor’s director and he can seriously grapple with the necessary CGI for the film. However, money was among the issues with Ross, and we can’t imagine Jackson wouldn’t cost Lionsgate double whatever Ross wanted.

16 Things The Hunger Games Movie Missed

Forbes has compiled a list of questions that The Hunger Games book answers, but that the movie adaptation leaves fans wondering about if they didn’t also read the book.

Why were the tributes working together when the object of the Hunger Games is to kill everyone?

Districts 1, 2, and 4 have “career tributes,” known as “Careers.” They’re trained their entire lives to fight in the Hunger Games, and for them, it’s an honor to be picked. The Careers naturally band together, even in the cafeteria before the games begin.

Why did they let Peeta join their pack?

The Careers were jealous that Katniss scored an 11 in her pre-game rating—the highest of all the tributes. They let Peeta live because they believe he has information to help them get to her.

Why does Katniss blow up the food supply?

At this point in the movie, Katniss has allied herself with Rue. With Katniss’ hunting skills and Rue’s ability to tell which plants are edible, they can feed themselves. The Careers, who’ve spent their lives training for fighting rather than survival, can’t. By taking away their food, Katniss is taking away their ability to sustain themselves.