The Hunger Games

[Hush]

Yeah having her do a draft was one of the best ideas ever, so I think it will get the theme right. I just dont want the rating to ruin the theme.

 

[Crockett]

The books sure have some terrifyingly vivid scenes with violence but is not overly graphic, it's mostly the ideas of the games itself that are harrowing. Ross is very passionate about the project so I'm sure the movie will tell a compelling and thrilling story just like the books.

 

[Octoberist]

I mean, how violent were the books?

 

[Project862006]

well the movie could be rated r people get impaled by several weapons like arrow to the head and spears to the stomach and these happen to little kids

 

[kvz5]

http://insidemovies.ew.com/2011/03/18/jennifer-lawrence-talks-hunger-games/

Jennifer Lawrence talks 'The Hunger Games' -- and her love of Peeta

Yesterday, Lionsgate officially announced that Jennifer Lawrence is your Katniss Everdeen, Hunger Games fans. Last night, director Gary Ross told EW why both he and trilogy author Suzanne Collins believe she is the right young woman to play the highly coveted role. Today, the Oscar-nominated actress released a statement to the universe of Hunger Games fans: “I couldn’t be happier about being a part of Hunger Games and to play Katniss. I have a huge responsibility to the fans of this incredible book and I don’t take it lightly. I will give everything I have to these movies and to this role to make it worthy of Suzanne Collin’s masterpiece.”

And now Lawrence has responded to a few of EW’s burning questions about the thrill of getting to bring District 12′s scrappy hero alive on the big screen.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What scene from the three books made you the most excited to play Katniss?
JENNIFER LAWRENCE: I don’t think a particular scene made me excited to play Katniss, the entire book made me want that. That being said, I’ve never shot a bow and arrow, so that’ll be cool.

What character besides Katniss are you fondest of, and what is it about them you love?
Peeta. He’s good and nice in a world that’s harsh and unkind.

What heroines from movies past do you think have some of Katniss’ fighting spirit?
Sigourney Weaver’s “Ripley” in Alien is the first that comes to mind.

 

[Crockett]

I mean, how violent were the books?

It's hard for me to think of other books to compare it to but it also depends if you are used to violence in books/movies, but for me I would say that the books are ok that my little brother can read it, and he's 10.

well the movie could be rated r people get impaled by several weapons like arrow to the head and spears to the stomach and these happen to little kids

It's going to be PG-13, Ross said so himself and he's going to stick to it. It's not a overly graphic book, yes kids die and in kind of a brutal way but you don't need to show tons of blood and gore to make this stay true to the book and the movie will retain the same violence as in the book but it's just not a R rated violence.

 

[Doctor Jones]

Never even heard of these books until like two weeks ago. How long have these even been around. Masterpiece? Why have I never heard of these?

 

[Crockett]

The books are still relativity new, the first one was published in 2008 and the last part published last year. I wouldn't say that they are masterpiece but the books are enjoyable and fun to read, what drew me to the books was because I heard it was similar to Battle Royale and The Running Man but in a direction that's more for teenager/young adults so to speak.

 

[Hush]

I'd say the violence is a little worse than that Crockett, I mean at one point Katniss gets sprayed in the face with blood from an opponent, then you havent even got to the Tracker Jackers.

 

[Doctor Jones]

The books are still relativity new, the first one was published in 2008 and the last part published last year. I wouldn't say that they are masterpiece but the books are enjoyable and fun to read, what drew me to the books was because I heard it was similar to Battle Royale and The Running Man but in a direction that's more for teenager/young adults so to speak.

I still need to see Battle Royale. I probably won't read these books but it could catch my attention come with more casting and footage.

 

[Crockett]

I'd say the violence is a little worse than that Crockett, I mean at one point Katniss gets sprayed in the face with blood from an opponent, then you havent even got to the Tracker Jackers.

Eh, in a way it's similar to the fear-toxin gas in Batman Begins so the movie can get away with it, I would say it's possible for the movie to retain the same amount of violence in the books with a PG-13 rating, and also with a PG-13 rating, you have to come up with creative ways to show the violence.

 

[MadVillainy]

WHen you think about it even the books of the Harry Potter series were more violent than the movies. They werent R rated bad but I remember things like people sounding different because blood was coming out of their mouth or even people getting their hands/ears cut off, which were downplayed in the movies

Same thing will probably happen with this. There are some scenes in the sequels that Id be interested in how they do it with a PG13 rating, but we'll see

 

[Crockett]

I still need to see Battle Royale. I probably won't read these books but it could catch my attention come with more casting and footage.

I hope you have the time to see it soon, Battle Royale is a great movie. Hopefully down the line you will read the books too, at least for the enjoyment factor.

 

[Project862006]

Cool fan art of Jen as Katniss

 

[kvz5]

Cool fan art of Jen as Katniss

That's a good manip! I barely recognized her.

 

[dark_b]

Cool fan art of Jen as Katniss

whats interesting in this manip is that she looks like Bella Cullen.

which is the whole reson why this movie is made. they think they will have a new twilight franchise.

the problem is that producers just dont get it. I am Number 4 is mroe closer to Twilight and it didnt explode. this movie will also not. so insted of just focusing on the horny teens they should make a good movie for everyone.
i hope they will make the female lead a strong character .

 

[Crockett]

which is the whole reson why this movie is made. they think they will have a new twilight franchise.

the problem is that producers just dont get it. I am Number 4 is mroe closer to Twilight and it didnt explode. this movie will also not. so insted of just focusing on the horny teens they should make a good movie for everyone.
i hope they will make the female lead a strong character .

The two series are completely different, and I've said that Collins (the author of the series) herself penned the first draft of the screenplay, so even if it's not the final draft you can be sure the story is still good in the adaptation, and that means Katniss will still be a strong female character in the movie as she was in the books.

 

[Hush]

These books are about as far removed from Twilight as one can possibly imagine. Why does every new Franchise have to be compared to Twilight? I honestly have no problems with wanting the Franchise to reach Twilight levels of popularity because then you get a more successful film and the sequel gets more money and more star attention. I also have no problem with Twilight because A. its fiction and B. it got ALOT of kids reading just like Potter and hopefully this.

 

[Project862006]

well it follows a female lead no matter how different they are and it has a love triangle not hard to see why people compare them

 

[Hush]

The story is completely different though by LIGHT YEARS!

 

[Project862006]

Fans are still buzzing over last week’s news that Jennifer Lawrence has been cast as Katniss Everdeen in the film version of The Hunger Games. EW has received an exclusive statement by Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins on Lawrence’s casting. The complete text of the statement follows:

Dear Readers,
We have found Katniss.
As the author, I went into the casting process with a certain degree of trepidation. Believing your heroine can make the leap from the relative safety of the page to the flesh and bones reality of the screen is something of a creative act of faith. But after watching dozens of auditions by a group of very fine young actresses, I felt there was only one who truly captured the character I wrote in the book. And I’m thrilled to say that Jennifer Lawrence has accepted the role.
In her remarkable audition piece, I watched Jennifer embody every essential quality necessary to play Katniss. I saw a girl who has the potential rage to send an arrow into the Gamemakers and the protectiveness to make Rue her ally. Who has conquered both Peeta and Gale’s hearts even though she’s done her best to wall herself off emotionally from anything that would lead to romance. Most of all, I believed that this was a girl who could hold out that handful of berries and incite the beaten down districts of Panem to rebel. I think that was the essential question for me. Could she believably inspire a rebellion? Did she project the strength, defiance and intellect you would need to follow her into certain war? For me, she did.
Jennifer’s just an incredible actress. So powerful, vulnerable, beautiful, unforgiving and brave. I never thought we’d find somebody this amazing for the role. And I can’t wait for everyone to see her play it.
Thank you all for sharing in this journey and may the odds be ever in your favor!

Love,
Suzanne Collins

 

[dark_b]

The story is completely different though by LIGHT YEARS!

who said that its the same like twilight?

 

[Jack Bauer]

I don't know about Twilight but I was reading about THG, it is like a teen version of The Running Man with the Lottery thrown in. That's kinda messed up.

 

[Hush]

who said that its the same like twilight?

You said that this was to be another Twilight like franchise and you likened I Am Number Four to being more Twilightish than this though The Hunger Games is no where near like Twilight in even the slightest bit. The Love Triangle if you can call it that is there but it isnt at the same time and the only thing that is really similar to Twilight is he brunette hero.

Now Twilight might be the reason the movie is getting made but this in no way is going to try and cater to, as you so eloquently put it, "horny teens" just because there is a faint love story here. Personally I hope this movie blows up and does great at the box office with Twilight numbers, that would be a win for this franchise.

 

[Project862006]

Lucas Till talks about his love for Hunger Games and Peeta
http://thehoborg.blogspot.com/2011/03/exclusive-lucas-till-talks-about-peeta.html

Work around his upcoming film X-Men: First Class (with Jennifer Lawrence, no less!) has been keeping him busy, but we were able to get a couple questions answered.

1) What is it about The Hunger Games story that appeals to you? ​

The violence is real and full of truth, I've never read something where the issues a society struggles with literally depend whether kids my age live or die. Things aren't sugarcoated and the truth is that's how the real world is. Kids my age and younger deal with danger, death, and being separated from their families all the time. It's the real world and most of the times kids are victims of greed and power that isn't their own.​

2) Why are you drawn to Peeta? What would you bring to the role? ​

Life isn't perfect for anyone and whoever you are, there is someone who is better off or less fortunate than you. I think most of us fall in the middle and because of that we can be most helpful to people who have a lot less but also people who have more. Peeta doesn't come from a perfect place, but he didn't grow up in the Seam either. Nothing is perfect no matter who you are.​

I think there's a trade-off and even though Peeta didn't grow up struggling as much as if he lived in the Seam, he didn't have it easy and his mom, well, you know how she is. Nothing hurts more than when someone who is supposed to love you doesn't believe in you and hurts you. I think you can almost get numb to the physical abuse but I also think feeling like the person who should care most, doesn't, well that just kills you and you can never run away from feeling like that.​

But I never saw a victim in Peeta, I always saw him as being more sympathetic to other people than to himself. I think sometimes it's easier to be a victim than it is to work hard everyday and be thankful for what you have. I guess i'm drawn to him because I feel like I know him. It's ok to question why things are the way they are but it's not ok to let your circumstances define what you do next. You don't have to do what people expect of you cause the world has a way of changing things every day.​

Thanks to Lucas for taking the time out to answer our questions! Such thoughtful, spot-on characterizations of Peeta and the Hunger Games world.