Everyone had resigned themselves to the fact that 害羞草研究所淭he Hunger Games害羞草研究所� ended in 2015. The four-film blockbuster franchise had made nearly $3 billion at the global box office and helped Jennifer Lawrence skyrocket to superstardom.
But Suzanne Collins害羞草研究所� Katniss Everdeen saga was over. And, frankly, everyone, including Collins, director Francis Lawrence and producer Nina Jacobson, was eager to take a break and do something else.
For several years after 害羞草研究所� ,害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所淗unger Games害羞草研究所�-related text conversations between Lawrence and Collins rarely went past sending one another screenshots of their films on Jeopardy categories. Then, in 2019, Jacobson and Lawrence got a call: Collins was putting the finishing touches on something new, a prequel set 64 years before Katniss volunteered as tribute.
It would be focused on a young Coriolanus Snow, and there would be a big musical element.
arrives in theaters nationwide Friday at another transitional moment in Hollywood, where and, for the first time in a long time, .
And while the team was excited about the possibility of working together again, there were some nerves about whether or not there was an appetite for Hunger Games movies 害羞草研究所渨ithout Katniss,害羞草研究所� Lawrence told The Associated Press in a recent interview.
But this was all before they害羞草研究所檇 laid eyes on the book.
Both Lawrence and Jacobson were soon brought into Collins害羞草研究所� agent害羞草研究所檚 office, seated in a locked room and given the book to read. To their relief, suddenly the Katniss problem didn害羞草研究所檛 seem so important anymore, and soon they were off to Lionsgate to get it off the ground.
害羞草研究所淲e were excited to be able to dive into something that didn害羞草研究所檛 feel like a rehash,害羞草研究所� Jacobson said. 害羞草研究所淚t didn害羞草研究所檛 feel like we were trying to imitate the previous movies.害羞草研究所�
For Lawrence, it 害羞草研究所渇elt like a 害羞草研究所楬unger Games害羞草研究所� story害羞草研究所� but also something unique, 害羞草研究所渨ith new thematic foundations.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淚nstead of a girls害羞草研究所� survival story, it was a young man害羞草研究所檚 descent into darkness,害羞草研究所� Lawrence said. 害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 an origin story about a major character and also the series itself.害羞草研究所�
As with the first film, Lawrence and Jacobson wanted to find fresh young talents to lead the franchise 害羞草研究所� not a TikTok star or someone already famous in another part of the world 害羞草研究所� and surround them with veteran actors. In this case, those established names would include Viola Davis, Peter Dinklage and Jason Schwartzman.
They found their young Snow, played in the original films by Donald Sutherland, via taped submission. The English actor Tom Blyth entered the running rather late and quickly became the frontrunner, beating out hundreds for the role.
害羞草研究所淗e just blew everybody out of the water,害羞草研究所� Lawrence said. 害羞草研究所淗e has a charisma, he has the right physical attributes. He害羞草研究所檚 Juilliard trained. He really knows his craft. He was going to be able to give us all the emotional values we need for the character害羞草研究所檚 journey. And he felt like a star.害羞草研究所�
For Lucy Gray Baird, the District 12 tribute Snow is assigned to mentor for the 10th Hunger Games, Lawrence already had someone in mind. Like many film fans, he was transfixed by 害羞草研究所檚 film debut as Maria in Steven Spielberg害羞草研究所檚 害羞草研究所淲est Side Story害羞草研究所� and persuaded her to co-star. It wasn害羞草研究所檛 a hard sell: 害羞草研究所淭he Hunger Games害羞草研究所� were already a big part of Zegler害羞草研究所檚 life having grown up with the books and the movies, which she and her mom and sister made events out of.
害羞草研究所淎s somebody who loves to call herself a fan first before anything else, the greatest gift you can get is more to the story,害羞草研究所� Zegler said. 害羞草研究所淩ather than seeing it as a pressure cooker just waiting to explode, I see it as a really big blessing.害羞草研究所�
Blyth, in his first starring role in Hollywood, felt some pressure. But he found comfort in the material they were working with.
害羞草研究所淲e害羞草研究所檙e lucky to be adapting a book that害羞草研究所檚 really good,害羞草研究所� Blyth said. 害羞草研究所淪uzanne writes these big thinking pieces that are approachable for teenagers and younger people, which I think is a genuinely honorable feat 害羞草研究所� someone who wants to try and bring bigger ideas to young people while also entertaining them.害羞草研究所�
Filming took place largely in Germany. The production looked to reconstruction-era Berlin for aesthetic and thematic inspiration for this post-war capitol that害羞草研究所檚 rebuilding and on tenuous political ground. And Trish Summerville was also brought back to design the ornate costumes, which include some Easter eggs for fans hidden in Lucy害羞草研究所檚 hand-painted corset.
害羞草研究所淭here害羞草研究所檚 this spectacle to the whole world,害羞草研究所� Blyth said. 害羞草研究所淭he whole thing is about spectacle. It害羞草研究所檚 about being distracted by beautiful things while everything else is going on.害羞草研究所�
But even while creating a new world, the filmmakers were disciplined about the budget. Instead of resting on laurels and precedent 害羞草研究所� 害羞草研究所淢ockingjay Part 2害羞草研究所� had a $160 million price tag 害羞草研究所� they kept theirs to a reported $100 million.
害羞草研究所淲e were very mindful that this was not a sequel but a prequel with a new cast,害羞草研究所� Jacobson said. 害羞草研究所淲e wanted to make sure that we were making this movie at a price that that made sense.害羞草研究所�
It害羞草研究所檚 easy to forget that not everyone in Hollywood thought that they had a blockbuster in their hands at the beginning. Back in 2009, when Jacobson and her production company ColorForce acquired the rights to adapt Collins害羞草研究所� YA series, there was widespread skepticism about young adult material and about the appeal of female-fronted action movies that weren害羞草研究所檛 primarily romances.
害羞草研究所淚n the original series, we were able to take a lot of risks and really challenge a lot of industry assumptions,害羞草研究所� Jacobson said. 害羞草研究所淭he most important thing in this go-around was to still take those risks and not be playing it safe 害羞草研究所� to still feel like we害羞草研究所檙e making something that害羞草研究所檚 a bit on the subversive side.害羞草研究所�
With its moral ambiguity and complicated characters, Jacobson thinks it might even be the kind of movie that audiences want to discuss and debate afterward. In the past year, she added, a lot of young people have discovered the franchise on streaming who will hopefully join established fans at the theater for 害羞草研究所淭he Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檓 hopeful that it will be a shared cultural experience and a communal experience at a time when we don害羞草研究所檛 have too many of those,害羞草研究所� Jacobson said. 害羞草研究所淲hen they do happen, as they have this year with movies as different as 害羞草研究所楤arbie害羞草研究所� and 害羞草研究所極ppenheimer,害羞草研究所� it certainly shows that if you give people a worthwhile and original story with some bold storytelling and a filmmaker with a voice, that they will show up.
害羞草研究所淎nd we hope to be part of that showing up.害羞草研究所�
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