At the risk of getting ahead of ourselves... YOU GUYS! "CATCHING FIRE" HITS THEATERS IN TWO YEARS. (News like this is what the caps lock key was made for, right?!) I mean, yes, two years seems like an awful long time, but with "The Hunger Games" hitting theaters in March, the wait will be cut down to 20 months. And with all the "Catching Fire" casting announcements, teasers and trailers, it will feel like we never left the arena. Maybe?
In celebration of this auspicious day, your partners in Panem at Hollywood Crush have compiled a list of everything we know so far about the sequel. Let it blaze!
"The Hunger Games" needs to do well.
First and foremost, Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer told Bloomberg recently that the debut installment needs to hit $100 million in domestic sales in order to justify sequels—something we're, honestly, not too worried about. Just take a look at the numbers from other once-fledgling YA franchises. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" grossed $129.5 million during its first week at the box office, while "Twilight" reached $125.4 million by week two. Easy peasy!
An Oscar-winner may pen the script.
Word came last week that Lionsgate is eyeing "Slumdog Millionaire" scribe Simon Beaufoy for the the follow-up. (Apparently post-production on "The Hunger Games" is keeping director Gary Ross too busy to work on the script with author Suzanne Collins.) Two Oscar-winners for "Catching Fire"? Yes, please!
There will be new blood.
Without getting too spoilery regarding the plot of "Catching Fire," there will be a fresh slew of characters debuting in this second outing. We've already given our suggestions for District 4 victor Finnick Odair, but there are plenty of other characters (we're looking at you Beetee, Johanna and Mags) to ruminate over. Let the speculation begin, er, continue!
It's all alone...so far.
Though much will likely change before 2013, "Catching Fire" so far has no competition for the pre-Thanksgiving weekend. We're pretty curious to see which brave studio will take up the task of contending with the tributes. Because we sure wouldn't.
Bonus rumor: Will "Catching Fire" be two parts?
Let me be clear: We have no inside scoop on this. But despite the fact that Deadline reported the final novel, "Mockingjay," would be adapted into two movies, fans can't help but wonder if "Catching Fire" would be the better choice, seeing as its narrative has a bit more meat and a clearer dividing point. Do you agree?
What are your hopes for "Catching Fire"? Tell us in the comments and on Twitter!
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