NEWS9 Important Things To Know About The Hunger Games: Catching Fire From Director Francis Lawrence
Who knows the secrets to The Hunger Games: Catching Fire better than the director Francis Lawrence himself?! Here are the 9 biggest things you have to know about the film including changes from the first movie, scoop on the actors, the hardest scenes to film and more.
1. Scenery. One thing we can expect from Francis Lawrence, the director of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, is a better visual idea of the world of Panem. In this movie we will see more of the Districts, the Capitol, and a new arena. Francis told ScreenCave the arena was the part that took the most figuring out because "It’s a place that doesn’t exist anywhere in the world."
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2.Biggest concern. All you Catching Fire fans can breathe a sigh of relief. Francis admits his biggest concern with directing the film was staying true to the book. He spent a full weekend working with Suzanne Collins to make sure the movie is a fair adaptation. He told the Los Angeles Times, "I really liked the book, and I really wanted to make the book. I didn’t want to reinvent."
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3. Hardest scenes to film. It's no surprise that they involve the always-joking Jennifer Lawrence. In excerpts from Empire magazine's interview with cast members, Francis says "This cast all work incredibly hard … but if you had a scene with Jennifer, Josh and Woody Harrelson then it was pretty much a disaster. They would not keep a straight face.” He calls these three "the perfect storm," and says they always had a blast together.
4. Keeping J-Law on Track. In such a serious movie, how do you tame Jennifer Lawrence's goofiness? Francis told MTV that "one of the tricks quite honestly with Jen if she is joking around, is to just start rolling the camera and call action," after which she quickly jumps into her Katniss character.
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5. Quiet moments. For such an action-packed movie, it seems there is just as much emotion behind the smaller, more intimate moments. Francis says that some of the most effective moments are the silent exchanges between Peeta and Katniss. Hear more of what he has to say about this here!
6. New additions. Besides the amazing cast he inherited from the first Hunger Games, Francis gives the scoop on how they cast the new characters. In Francis' opinion, Philip Seymour Hoffman is one of the greatest actors of all time so he was happy to have him on board. Then throughout the casting process he found Sam Claflin who he says is "so charming and handsome, but has the emotional depth." Read more about his casting choices here.
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7. Biggest change. The love triangle. If any of you were disappointed by the first movie's portrayal of the love triangle you are not alone. Francis tells New York Magazine, "I felt the same. I felt the love story in general was, um, a bit buried in the first one. I wanted to bring the love story to the surface. And when I say love story, I mean the triangle." We can't wait to see how things heat up between Katniss, Peeta, and Gale!
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8. Biggest evolution. After all she has been through with the last Hunger Games, Katniss is forever changed as a character. Francis talks about the evolution in Katniss and how you will notice this change right away. Watch below!
youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pb7sUL9RC3w&w=560&h=315
9. The cast. Finally, Francis reveals that the most important part of the success of the Hunger Games movies is undoubtably the cast. In his New York Magazine interview he claims "If you can just get those amazing actors, then that’s 80 percent of my job."
Are you excited to see more of Panem and meet the new cast members? What are you looking forward to most in The Hunger Games:Catching Fire? Tweet us @OKMagazine and let us know in the comments below.
