Posts Tagged "The Hunger Games"

When Hollywood is looking for the next big thing, they often turn to the world of literature for inspiration.

With so many of our favorite YA book titles leaving their prized places on our bookshelves for a stint on the silver screen, it can be hard to keep track of them all.

Here’s the latest news from Hollywood, from the big screen, to your screen.

—–

The Hunger Games

The big news the past few weeks has been centered around the adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games.

So far, the big three have been already been cast – Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss, Josh Hutcherson as Peeta and Liam Hemsworth as Gale.

The newest castmates to be signed up are -

Lenny Kravitz as Cinna

Donald Sutherland as President Snow

Stanely Tucci as Caesar Flickerman

Just about every member including thr tributes have now been cast, for a full cast list check out the movie’s IMDB page here. The film has been given a release date for March 23 2012 for the U.S., U.K. and Canada so far. There’s been talk of the series being split into four movies rather than three (one for each book) but that’s currently unconfirmed.

Our first look at Jennifer as Katniss was revealed on the cover of the May issue of Entertainment Weekly, exciting!

———–

The Mortal Instruments

The other adaptation that seems to be picking up the pace is Cassandra Clare’s The Mortal Instruments with the much awaited announcement of Jamie Campbell Bower (Harry Potter, New Moon) as Jace Wayland.

Cassandra Clare spoke with MTV’s Hollywood Crush about the casting choice -

“He auditioned with Lily, and he and Lily had incredible chemistry that sort of blazed off the scene. I’m just sitting here watching this on my computer, and you know, he was not the only person they’ve ever sent me to look at. I’ve gotten lots of headshots and this and that, and I’m watching the audition and I literally started crying because that was my Jace and Clary on the screen. And it’s an incredible feeling to see that even as an audition. This is amazing. He was snarky funny where he needed to be snarky funny, and he was badass where he needed to be badass. And he and Lily were incredible together.”

To read more from that interview click here.

The search is now on to find the perfect Simon…

———-

Breaking Dawn

The first trailer for the newest addition to the Twilight franchise – The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1 premiered at the MTV movie awards a few weeks ago and looks very exciting! Who doesn’t love a wedding? (Well, Jacob I guess)

If you haven’t already seen it, check it out here

———

Early days….

- Saorise Ronan has been cast as Melanie/Wanda in Stephenie Meyer’s The Host
- The company in charge of the Vampire Academy movie is still in the process of finding a studio
- Evan Daugherty has been hired to write the screenplay for Veronica Roth’s Divergent

——

That’s all the movie news for the moment!

When Hollywood is looking for the next big thing, they often turn to the world of literature for inspiration.

With so many of our favorite YA book titles leaving their prized places on our bookshelves for a stint on the silver screen, it can be hard to keep track of them all.

Here’s the latest news from Hollywood, from the big screen, to your screen.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Release Date: March 23, 2012

Director: Gary Ross
Producer: Nina Jacobsen
Casting Director: Debra Zane
Studio: Lionsgate

Casting and other rumors: If there’s one thing I’ve learnt from keeping an eye on book to movie news is that IMDB.com is full of lies. It’s a bit like wikipedia, anyone with a pro account can edit the information about casting details etc. As of yet none of the characters have been cast yet.

Names such as Hailee Steinfield, Chloe Moretz, Alyson Stoner (ugh please no), Alex Pettyfer (double ugh no) and Elle Fanning have been thrown around but so far all of those are just rumors.

There was also a story going around that the movie would be filmed in North Carolina, which according to Lionsgate is also untrue.

The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

Release Date: 2012

Director: Scott Charles Stewart

Casting and other rumors: The same deal with people sabotaging IMDB applies to The Mortal Instruments movie. As of yet only Lily Collins is an official cast member, who will be playing the lead character Clary Fray.

The most talked about casting rumor is of course Alex Pettyfer as Jace, which as I’ve mentioned before, I’m not a fan of the idea (for reasons such as too old, too many franchises already etc). At the moment it’s still a rumor, though he has mentioned that he’s read the books, the script and has spoken with director Scott Charles Stewart. We’ll see.

Other (probably false) rumors include Gaspard Ulliel as Alec and Darren Criss as Magnus.

I Am Number Four

Release Date: 18 February 2011 (out now)

Director: D.J. Caruso (Disturbia)
Producer: Michael Bay (Transformers)

Starring: Alex Pettyfer (I know, I know, I’m mentioning him again, but he’s actually in this one!), Dianna Agron (Glee) and Teresa Palmer

I wasn’t a fan of this book but thought the movie had promise. From the few reviews I’ve read it’s not getting a great response. A few cheesy lines, key information lost in the translation of book to screen and too many explosions (well, come on, Michael Bay is involved, there were bound to be explosions). But, I know some people did enjoy it, I’m hoping to check it out soon for myself and find out.

Bits and pieces -

The adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s sci-fi novel The Host is making slow progress by announcing earlier this month that Susanna White has signed up as the director.

Looks like Selena Gomez has been cast to play Hannah in the adaptation of Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher which has been an unpopular choice with fans.

Emma Watson has confirmed she will be starring in The Perks of Being a Wallflower which will start filming in the summer

The movie rights to Veronica Roth’s Divergent have been picked up by billionaires Meg Ellisson. It’s not clear yet which studio will be working on the project buy Summit and Columbia Pictures are possibilities

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and directed by Baz Luhrman (Moulin Rouge, Romeo and Juliet) is set to be filmed in Sydney, Australia and in 3D, which not everyone is thrilled about. The movie stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Gatsby, Carey Mulligan as Daisy and Tobey Maguire as the narrator.

“Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she’s made it out of the bloody arena alive, she’s still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what’s worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss’s family, not her friends, not the people of District 12.”

This August there was only one word on everyone’s lips – Mockingjay. Have you got it? Have you read it? Have you seen it? Reviewers, readers and fans alike were camped outside their letterboxes and bookstores, poised for the moment the conclusion to the Hunger Games series finally arrived. However none of the excitement or anticipation could’ve prepared us for the emotional roller coaster 455 pages could bring.

Mockingjay brings us to Panem a few months after Katniss was rescued from the Hunger Games arena by the District 13 rebels. This fact also reminds us that Peeta was not. He is still in the hands of the Capitol, under known conditions.

The rebellion has begun in earnest now. However there are still Districts under the control of the Capitol and there is a disjointed feeling among the rebels. They need a symbol, something to unify them and lead the spirit of the cause. They need the Mockingjay, Katniss. But after all she’s been through can she find the strength be that face? Can she bear being a puppet on show again? How far does she have to go just to be free?

It’s a good thing I had time to process just how I felt about this book after I read it otherwise it would’ve looked like Kanye West took over the blog, writing a review strictly in caps lock. I was only a few pages in when I realized I should’ve eaten or gone to the bathroom beforehand because I was so entranced, engaged, engrossed, totally sucked into this book I knew I wasn’t going to be able to move till I read every last word.

Was I disappointed? That the series was over, yes. By the book itself, no.  The story is so emotional it leaves you feeling shell shocked. The pace of the plot means Katniss never really gets a break, she’s always in the thick of the action which you can see slowly wears away at her already frayed nerves. This also takes its toll on everyone else as the strain and fear push them to breaking point.

There’s no doubt that what the characters face is an outright war and Suzanne Collins gives us everything that goes with it – the heroics and the aftermath. Facing the kind of sights these characters do means you can’t remain unaffected, which is what gives the story a very raw, realistic quality.
Collins never comes across as preachy about the war but she does make you question, just how far are you willing to go and where do you draw the line?

The realism that she brought to the story meant Collins definitely had a no holds barred approach to her characters and nothing was sacred. As a reader I was constantly kept on my toes, not being able to predict what would happen next, you’re left guessing the whole time.

I promised to keep this spoiler free, so highlight the text if you want to see it. (Don’t say you weren’t warned)

My only complaint with Mockingjay is that the ending felt rushed. There needed to be more detail particularly between Peeta and Katniss. The book was so starved of him already; we needed to see that reconnection.

There are no winners or losers in a war, just survivors left to pick up the pieces. But throughout all the pain and despair, there is still hope and love. Katniss has been an incredible character to follow, her bravery and strength never ceased to amaze me I felt so proud of her in Mockingjay.

This book hit me on a new level where I was left nothing but stunned afterwards. I’m DEVASTATED that it’s all over but it’s been an amazing ride with an amazing series. If you’re looking for a happy ending, you’re not going to find it here. You will however find an incredible story that’ll stay with you days later, you won’t be the same again.

Pages: 455
Publication Date: August 2010
Rating: :

Teaser Quote: “So, what do you think they’ll do to him?” I ask.
Prim sounds a thousand years old when she speaks.
“Whatever it takes to break you.”

Happy Mockingjay release day! After many months of patiently waiting, the third and final book of Suzanne Collins’ brilliant The Hunger Games series, Mockingjay, has arrived in store! No doubt this book will be flying off the shelves as we finally find out the answer to so many questions after Catching Fire.

But remember, give everyone a chance to read it before posting spoilers on twitter/forum/facebook etc. Or you will be taken out Hunger Games style.

Be sure to look out for our review, we’ll keep it spoiler free, promise ; )

In the world of YA Lit, book to movie adaptations are the in thing lately. Many of our favorite titles are being made into movies, so we thought we’d provide you with a little status update on some of the bigger names leaving our bookshelves for a stint on the silver screen.

Tomorrow When the War Began by John Marsden

Release: September 2010

Production Company/Studio: Paramount

Status: The hugely successful Australian novel will make its film debut on September 8, 2010 in Australia. Filming is finished and now all we have to do is wait in anticipation. We’re still searching for worldwide release dates. If anyone has any information on this, we’d appreciate the update!

You can watch the official trailer for the film here

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – J.K Rowling

Release: Part 1 – 18 Nov 2010, Part 2 – 15 July 2011

Production Company/Studio: Warner Bros.

Status: Part 1 of the Deathly Hallows is currently in post-production stages, with a release date set for sometime at the end of 2010. You can watch the trailer for the first instalment here. Not surprisingly, the release date for this film was delayed so that it wouldn’t coincide with, or be overshadowed by, the release of Eclipse, the third Twilight film. Part two is also completed and scheduled for an early 2011 release.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Stephenie Meyer

Release: Part 1 – 18 Nov 2011, Part 2 – 2012

Production Company/Studio: Summit Entertainment

Status: Part 1 of the fourth book in the Twilight Saga is currently in pre-production, gearing up for a 2011 release. The full cast from the previous three films have all signed back on for this two part mega finale. Bill Condon has signed on as director for both instalments. Condon directed the ever popular Dreamgirls and the creepy horror flick, Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh. Filming is rumored to start in the early stages of 2011 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and Vancouver, Canada. Filming for both instalments will be conducted back-to-back.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Release: 2011

Production Company/Studio: Lionsgate

Status: Although no cast or director has been named yet, Suzanne Collins herself is writing the screenplay adapatation and has already completed the first draft. A rumor is circulating that a director will be announced as soon as this summer, and the movie itself is scheduled to start filming in January 2011.

If I Stay – Gale Foreman

Release: 2011

Production Company/Studio: Summit

Status: Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke has signed on as director for the adaptation of Gayle Forman’s bestselling novel. No news yet on casting or when filming will begin.

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Release: 2012

Production Company/Studio: Unique Features /Warner Bros.

Status: Shiver is still in the early development stage, and screenwriter  Nick Pustay has been signed on for the project. Putsay also wrote the screenplay for Ramona and Beezus, scheduled for release in 2010, starring Disney superstar, Selena Gomez. As yet, no director has been announced that we’re aware of.

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones – Cassandra Clare

Release: 2012

Production Company/Studio: Unique Features

Status: Also still in early development, Jessica Postigo ha signed on as the screenwriter. The production company is currently looking for an appropriate director. No casting information is available as yet.

Vampire Academy – Richelle Mead

Release: TBC

Production Company/Studio: Preger Entertainment

Status: Vampire Academy is the latest YA book to have the film rights optioned and is at the very early stages of development. No studio has currently picked up the project as of yet but you can head over to the Official VA Movie page here to show your support.

Other books that are currently in development

Wake by Lisa McMann – Miley Cyrus has scored the leading role of Janie.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Marg Stohl (Warner Bros.)

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr (Universal Pictures)

Fallen by Lauren Kate (Disney)

Wings by April Lynn Pike – Miley Cyrus scored the leading role.  (Disney)

The Book Thief (20^th Century Fox)