Soapbox Commentary: "Hunger" For More?

After "The Hunger Games" completely exploded last March with a total north of $400 million, Lionsgate's decision to adapt the other two books is a complete no-brainer.  Not only did it trounce every installment of "Twilight", but it started a revolution in how movies looked at.  For once, filmmakers are realizing both men AND women go to the movies, and should make movies that appeal to both sexes.

Recently, Lionsgate announced three huge decisions with the next chapters in the franchise.  Here they are...

1.  JENNA MALONE CAST AS JOHANNA MASON IN "THE HUNGER GAMES:  CATCHING FIRE"

Anyone who has read the books knows this is one of the castings that is going to be crucial.  Joanna Mason, who appears sweet at first, but later turns out to be a fierce fighter and competitor, is crucial to the story due to the alliance she forms with Katniss and Peeta in the second book.

Jenna Malone is perfect for this role.  After her amazing performance in the completely under-rated "Sucker Punch", Malone shows she can play both sweet and fierce at the drop of a hat.  Casting Malone in this role is the first step that new director Francis Lawrence is doing things right.

2.  PHILLIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN CAST AS PLUTARCH HEAVENSBEE IN "THE HUNGER GAMES:  CATCHING FIRE"

This is the other step in the right direction.  Phillip Seymour Hoffman is an amazing actor (he has an Oscar to prove it), and casting him as the mysterious new gamemaker of the 75th Annual Hunger Games in "Catching Fire" is a brilliant decision.

Heavensbee, who was in the first book but not the movie, seems to be more than he appears when we first see him at a gala put on by the Capital after the events of the of the 74th Annual Hunger Games (the end of the first movie), which makes Plutarch a suspicious character.  Hoffman does suspicious quite well, as anyone who saw his eerie performance as the main bad guy in "Mission: Impossible 3" can attest to.

3.  "MOCKINGJAY" WILL BE SPLIT INTO TWO MOVIES

This was something that I was suspecting they would do for some time now, and now it's official!  If any book needs to be split up, it's "Mockingjay".  Due to the fact that some people who read my postings here have not read the books yet, I won't go into too many details.  What I will say is that there is just too much to be covered in one book, much like "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows"...except with less magic and more gruesome violence.

It also ensures that there will officially be a new installment in the franchise every year!

"The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" will be released November 22nd, 2013
"The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1" will be released November 21st, 2014
"The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2" will be released November 20th, 2015

And, for those who missed it in the theaters, "The Hunger Games" will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray on August 18th, 2012!