Hunger Games!
This phenomenon has really just begun, and though The Avengers came in later in this year and showed the world what it really means to rake in the cash, lets not forget that an IP that is barely four years old broke $400m domestically and is in the Top 15 domestic grossing films of all time. The books continue to sell like holyshit, and there’s still a trilogy’s worth of films left to go which, as it turns out, will be shepherded into existence with a consistent director behind them…
The second film is currently underway, shooting somewhere nearby in Atlanta under the eye of Francis Lawrence, who made a dope supernatural action film and then a whole bunch of shit I’ve not cared for or cared about since. Still, I have the slightest bit of hope that he’ll work off a better aesthetic than Gary Ross’ poop smear, and that maybe the franchise will get more interesting as the story gets a little crazier. Thin comfort indeed, but it’s the kind of thoughts I have to cling to in these dark times.
In any event, the director has just signed on to direct the cleaved final entry in the series, Mockingjay according to a studio-confirmed scoop from Collider. The films, following the Potter/Twilight final movie split-template, will get underway with the same breathless pace as the second film as they are already set for 2014 and 2015, so Lawrence really doesn’t seem to have the issues with scheduling that Ross claims to have been troubled by.
I’m sure as soon as Catching Fire is out there the casting will begin the next week, and I’ll be ignoring daily casting press releases from there on out. Looking forward to it.