417 replies to this topic

[Editor-In-Chief]

Well, folks, we finally have a Katniss Everdeen and a release date, so I guess it's thread time!

Personally, I'm excited by the prospects of the trilogy, but here's hoping it's more Harry Potter than Twilight.

[ethanvahlere]

The consensus in the EW comments seems to be Lawrence is too old for the part, but I think she's perfect for it (admittedly, I only read the first book); it depends on the same toughness that she showed in Winter's Bone so well, along with the same hidden vulnerability.

Quite frankly, I'm more worried about Gary Ross as director. I liked Pleasantville, but it was heavy-handed at times, and Seabiscuit was overrated.

[ikar]

Not too thrilled with the Katniss casting. I guess I'd be in with the EW consensus mentioned, that she seems just a bit too old.

This gave me a laugh.

I'm also unhappy if this Peeta rumor is true as well.

[Editor-In-Chief]

Another interview with director Gary Ross, in which he addresses "whitewashing" claims and the fact that we will see actors of non-Caucasian descent in THG.

[Littlelamb86]

I wanted either Hailee Steinfeld or Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss. So, I am happy with this casting choice. I rather they cast talent over looks. Plus, Jennifer can always dye her hair. She said that Katniss kind of shares the same qualities as "Ripley" from the first Alien movie.

Here is a oldish quote that makes me believe Katniss is in good hands:

As we drove east toward Hollywood, Lawrence received a call from her agents at CAA; she thought they might be calling her about Lie Down in Darkness, a script based on the William Styron novel, in which she’d play a doomed Southern belle. “I am obsessed with that part,” she said. “I have this feeling of protectiveness over characters I want to play. I worry about them—if someone else gets the part, I’m afraid they won’t do it right; they’ll make the character a victim or they’ll make her a villain or they’ll just get it wrong somehow.” Lawrence paused. “I’m trying to write the director of Lie Down in Darkness a letter to convince him that I should be in his movie. I’ll chase him if I have to. I’ll sit outside his house.” She laughed. “I’m beside myself over that script. When I get like that, anything’s possible.”

[Unraveled]

She may do a fine job at it, but I wish that there would have been younger looking actors too. There was something very gritty about 12+ year old kids fighting each other to survive.

I worry there may be a lot of cutting [of violence] to make sure the film is PG-13.

[Littlelamb86]

She may do a fine job at it, but I wish that there would have been younger looking actors too. There was something very gritty about 12+ year old kids fighting each other to survive.

They may have, but from reading comments about her audition, sounded like she blew all of the crew away with her audition.

[Unraveled]

Some would like Kiernan Shipka (Sally Draper on Mad Men) to be in the movie. People are suggesting her for the younger sister, Primrose Everdeen.

I'd like to see who will be cast as Rue, the young girl from District 11. She's a pretty big character in the first book, and the character has so much spunk.

I'd really like to see the casting for the second movie, "Catching Fire." There's a lot of older people in the games, so it could be some interesting casting.

[Littlelamb86]

Kiernan as Primrose would definitely be good. Love her on Mad Men.

I am hoping the casting rumors I hear for Peeta are wrong. Just cast Hunter Parrish for the role.

And I would not mind Dave Franco as Gale or Finnick.

Edited by Littlelamb86, Apr 1, 2011 @ 8:07 PM.

[hardy har]

Plus, Jennifer can always dye her hair.

I don't know a thing about THG, but was reading some comments about the casting and I could not believe how many people were freaking the fuck out about her hair color. Even when level headed people were saying, "Um, there's such a thing as hairdye." they were still freaking out. Yay for sanity on TWoP.

What is the series comparable to? It's a YA series right?

[scarynikki12]

Now that I've finished the series, I feel comfortable to weigh in on the impending movies.

First, I hope the filmmakers do the books justice, as I feel it lived up to the hype and then some. I had put off reading them for a long while due to concern that it would turn out to be like Twilight, which is a series that so many people assured me I would love (big vampire fan), yet I found myself so offended by the first book I couldn't finish it. Jennifer Lawrence getting cast is what convinced me to sit down and read these.

Second, I think Jennifer is the perfect choice for Katniss, and I'm not remotely concerned about her being a couple years older. Katniss never seemed like a teenager, and it really was a surprise whenever her age was referenced in the books. I imagine that most children not living in the Capitol would grow up fast, and that a sixteen year old girl from District 12 shares nothing in common with the sixteen year old girl I was ten years ago. I think it works.

Third, I don't care who gets cast to play Peeta and Gale, but they need to be able to go toe to toe with Jennifer in terms of talent. If there's a flash in the pan young adult male actor who can do it, by all means cast him and make sure he takes his role seriously, but if that pool of actors isn't up to snuff, go for the unknowns.

In fact, I say any big name actors shouldn't even be a concern. This is a great series and there's plenty of attention on the first movie, so they just need to make sure they get the right actors for the roles rather than looking to a big name for PR tour. If they absolutely HAVE to, then cast some big names in the important but less prominent roles (ie, Christopher Lee as Snow is actually a decent idea, and Snow isn't in that many scenes in the series at all, much less the first book and Lee can certainly kill such a role). People will go to this movie, that is a fact, so make sure it's a great one.

[Littlelamb86]

Its official: Josh Hutcherson will play Peeta and Liam Hemsworth will play Gale.

Seriously? I was really hoping for Hunter Parrish as Peeta. I really like Hunter as a an actor and he really was perfect for the role.

[Unraveled]

Josh Hutcherson looks a little young compared to Jennifer Lawrence. I pictured Gale as more of a "dark handsome," so seeing a blue-eyed blonde isn't working for me.

I did see Josh in "The Kids are Alright," and he was fine in it, but not particularly "outstanding."

[Unraveled]

Casting news! Dayo Okeniyi as Thresh and Amandla Stenberg as Rue They're both unknowns to me, but I like they are adding some racial diversity to the casting. (Even if they're somewhat minor parts.)

[Littlelamb86]

Perfect choices for the characters.

[Thena]

Most of the casting seems ok. I haven't actually see any of these people in anything distinctly memorable, but most of them seem ok. I think I was most disappointed when they cast Peeta. Both the two actors look generically good looking like you couldn't pick them out of a line up of other Hollywood young actors. At least they didn't cast Alex Pettyfer. Still, a blond Peeta would be nice. It's easier for JL to be a brunette but harder for some brunettes to become blond so we'll see how it goes.

[vb68]

Paula Malcomson is cast as Katniss' mother.

[hardy har]

I posted this in the Upcoming Movies thread too . . . JL in Hunger Games garb on the EW cover.

Paula Malcomson is cast as Katniss' mother.

I know pretty much nothing about THG, but now I want a movie wherein Trixie and Ree Dolly go on a road trip. A fucked up and weird road trip.

Edited by hardy har, May 18, 2011 @ 3:33 PM.

[sintin]

How heartening to see the darkening of a white girl's skin so that she can convincingly play an ethnically ambiguous character.

[tip and fall]

How heartening to see the darkening of a white girl's skin so that she can convincingly play an ethnically ambiguous character.

Well, of course! It's not like white people get enough chances in Hollywood anyway. So it makes perfect sense.

Okay, in all seriousness, referring back to the first page of the thread - this is about way more than Lawrence having the wrong hair color. Katniss is supposed to be ethnically ambiguous, as sintin says, and the author strongly implies that she's supposed to be multiracial. ("There's been a lot of ethnic mixing in the future...") Of course, in the same breath, Suzanne Collins also blathers on about how she never explicitly says that Katniss isn't white, blah blah blah, so basically: Suzanne Collins is an idiot who has no idea of the words that are coming out of her mouth.

So yeah, the prospect of hair dye is absolutely not enough to make me any less pressed about Lawrence's casting.

Edited by tip and fall, May 18, 2011 @ 7:58 PM.

[mountainair]

I've never read the series but I have heard lots about this movie as it is being filmed in the town I live in. I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for cameras :)

[Littlelamb86]

Jennifer on the scene she wants to shoot the most:

“The first time that Katniss has to go into the cylinder and she goes up into the arena and looks around and sees it for the first time,” says Lawrence. “Knowing that when that trumpet blows she could die. The thing that’s great about her is she’s not a murderer. She’s a hunter, but she’s not a killer. I told Gary, ‘I totally understand if you don’t hire me, but please remember that after Katniss shoots a bow and kills someone her face cannot be badass. It has to be broken.’ She has to be heartbroken because she just took another person’s life. It’s so tempting, especially with a cool, big budget franchise movie, but we have to remember that she’s a 16-year-old girl who’s being forced to do this. These kids are only killing each other because if they don’t, they’ll die. It’s needless, pointless, unjustified violence. So there’s nothing cool about her. It’s not like she looks around the arena and goes ‘Yeah, I got this, I’m going to do this.’ I think she looks around terrified and thinks, ‘Well there are all the million different ways that I can die.’”

Her No. 1 scene from the entire trilogy, however, comes from the second book: “It’s from Catching Fire,” she says. “When she finds out that she has to go back and she runs in and has a complete meltdown — I remember reading that and being like ‘I want to act that!’”

http://insidemovies....favorite-scene/

[ethanvahlere]

That to me says why Lawrence is right for the role, that she's actually thinking this through rather than just taking this on as a cash-in job. I would add to that, however, that the challenge is, given how, in the book, Katniss expresses all of that in the narration, but except for the moments when she's caught off-guard, she's keeping all of those feelings bottled up, so if Lawrence wants to express all of that, she needs to do it internally, rather than indicating all over the place. I do have every confidence she's capable of doing that.

[Littlelamb86]

I initially wanted Hailee for Katniss, but I am happy Jennifer got it. She is very dedicated to every role she gets and when she wants something, she'll go out there and get it.

[kcblue86]

I just read the book this weekend. I think Jennifer Lawrence sounds like she has a good understanding of the character, and I've liked Josh Hutcherson since he was in Bridge to Terabithia. I think he'll be perfect for that heroic, boy next door quality that I liked about Peeta.

Gale's casting is what I'm most concerned about. Physically, he doesn't match the book's description and having never heard of him, he hasn't filled me with the confidence the way interviews with Jennifer have.

Although, Clove will apparently be played by Isabelle Fuhrman, the girl from Orphan, which gives me some hope for how the film has been cast. Now I just want to find out who will play Rue.

[powerinherpen]

I've never read the series but I have heard lots about this movie as it is being filmed in the town I live in. I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for cameras :)

I actually went by that town (Hildebran, NC, right?) to check out the set, as I was in NC for work last week. The bldg that is suspected to be Mellark's Bakery is WAY bigger than I ever thought it would be. I was expecting some sort of small, homey shop. I was disappointed that I couldn't see more of the set (the set is on a road off of a curve [so you can't pull over], in a residential neighborhood [so there's no where to park to walk over and peek], on somewhat hilly ground in a forested area [so you can't look straight in and see everything]). There were road closure signs and cops manning the area.

Nonetheless, I'm looking forward to the movie. Best series or books period, that I've read in ages. And I do a lot of reading!

[savinggrace]

w I just want to find out who will play Rue.

Rue has already been cast. She's a newcomer named Amandla Stenberg.

[MethodActor05]

How heartening to see the darkening of a white girl's skin so that she can convincingly play an ethnically ambiguous character.

It worked for Natalie Wood in West Side Story. I actually did buy her as Puerto Rican.

Anyway, Liam Hemsworth looks great as a brunette. Not sure about his acting skills, though. I like that Wes Bentley is in this, too.

Jennifer Lawrence really does seem like she's going to do everything she can to play this role as authentically as possible. I'm glad.

[tip and fall]

It worked for Natalie Wood in West Side Story. I actually did buy her as Puerto Rican.

Let's hope that Hollywood has evolved from the 1960s. Of course, I have my doubts.

[Glory]

New, full length trailer. Any thoughts?

Seriously, I was tearing up. I cannot wait for this. Everything looks just how I pictured it in my head.