Posted on Monday, April 9th, 2012 by Angie Han
You’ll have to put your fantasies of an Alfonso Cuaron- or Kathryn Bigelow-directed The Hunger Games sequel back on the shelf for now. Despite last week’s report that Gary Ross had exited the franchise and would not be directing the second installment, Catching Fire, sources close to the situation are saying that Ross has yet to formally withdraw. In fact, Ross is set to meet with Lionsgate today to discuss his possible role in the film series going forward. More details after the jump.
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This is why we can never make any assumptions about how a deal is going to go down before the ink is set and dried. Even before the massive success of The Hunger Games, most assumed that Gary Ross would return to direct the sequel, Catching Fire. Simon Beaufoy was hired to script the sequel, and said to be working under the supervision of Ross.
In the weeks since the release of The Hunger Games, we’ve heard about negotiations between Ross and Lionsgate, and while there seemed to be some contention over money, the general takeaway was that Ross and the studio would come to terms and he would once again be in the director’s chair for the sequel.
Turns out that might not be the case. Rather, Ross may have been playing his own smart game, letting many think he would be ready to move on to the sequel, but instead using his new cachet from the film’s success to ensure he could do a film he has been developing for a while. In other words, if the report we’ve got today is correct, Catching Fire will have a new director. Read More »
Everyone is cashing in on Hunger Games mania, even the owner of the small North Carolina town used as District 12 in the film. Henry River Mill Village, all 72 desolate acres of it, is now for sale for the low, low price of $1.4 million. Pretty archer and stoic, handsome baker not included. Read more and check the town out yourself after the jump. Read More »
Posted on Wednesday, April 4th, 2012 by Angie Han
That Gary Ross‘ The Hunger Games would get a sequel was practically a forgone conclusion before the film ever opened. Now that it’s officially become a hit, drawing in $368 million to date, it’s an absolutely sure bet that we’ll see Katniss, Gale and Peeta again on the big screen before long. Less certain, however, is whether writer-director Ross will return for the second installment, Catching Fire. While stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth are locked in for the sequel, Ross is not, and he’s reportedly battling with the studio for a hefty pay raise. More details after the jump.
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This week, Dave, Devindra, and Adam discuss the pleasures of texting in a theater, praise the wonders of Clone High and The Raid: Redemption, and compare Battle Royale to The Hunger Games (because nobody’s ever mentioned their similarities ever!). Tasha Robinson joins us from AV Club.
You can always e-mail us at slashfilmcast(AT)gmail(DOT)com, or call and leave a voicemail at 781-583-1993. We’ll most likely be reviewing Goon next week. /Filmcast live broadcasts won’t be regular the next few months, but follow Dave on Twitter to see when we’ll be broadcasting next!
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There’s a great semi-futuristic story of brutal combat, in which a battered nation is captivated as two-person teams battle one another to the death in an ironic but potent allegory of public entertainment and government control gone wrong. A reserved but driven hero manipulates public perception to gain an edge in the games, and could ultimately become something more significant than a survivor.
I’m not thinking of The Hunger Games; I’m thinking of Paul Bartel’s Death Race 2000, released in 1975 and made under producer Roger Corman. Death Race 2000 does a lot of things right, as Corman’s shoestring affairs go. It has the silly, exploitative and satirical angles covered with material to spare. What it doesn’t have, however, is a truly compelling main character. The Hunger Games has that one thing Bartel didn’t: a killer lead performance, in this case from Jennifer Lawrence as the young family provider turned warrior Katniss Everdeen. That’s just about all it’s got.
As satire and allegory, The Hunger Games is a whiff and a miss. But as a portrait of Katniss, it has the benefit of featuring Lawrence in nearly every scene, and the young actress doesn’t squander the movie’s opportunity. I suspect that in twenty years Winter’s Bone will be the movie in which we turn back to see Lawrence play an impressive provider, but The Hunger Games makes a good introduction to the fierce Lawrence, if nothing else. Read More »
This is the week The Hunger Games officially takes over the world. Try as we might to fight the system, we can’t escape – that is unless we kill every last one of you.
As I’m writing this I’ve yet to see HG, but I know I’ll dig it because the concept of deadly competition is one I find endlessly fascinating. How does one form allegiances with others when each party knows that there can ultimately be only one victor? I don’t know. It’s also why I don’t work in an office anymore.
There are a number of movies that deal with this topic, so let’s get cookin’ with this week’s TBMYPHS. Note: I’m not including The Running Man. You’ve seen it already, I hope. (I’m also not including Planet Hulk.) Read More »
After almost a decade away from the director’s chair, Gary Ross is back with a bang. He’s directed the highly-anticipated adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games and he’s done it with the kind of vision and passion only a true fan could have accomplished. The film, which opens March 23 and stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson and many others, is both a faithful adaptation of the book as well as a perfect movie version of the story. Everything fans want is in there and things they aren’t expecting are sprinkled in to help expand the world in a way only a movie can.
A few weeks back, I spoke with Ross on the occasion of The Hunger Games and we discussed his unique directorial choices with the film, his favorite, and least favorite, additions and subtractions from the original novel, some of his plans looking forward to casting (Finnick Odair!) and shooting the second film, Catching Fire, and much more. Read it all after the jump. Read More »
