Never mind that there are only three novels in Suzanne Collins' bestselling Hunger Games trilogy -- Lionsgate will reportedly go the Summit/Warner Bros. route and squeeze an extra film out of their highly anticipated property, according to studio execs. You know what that means: put on your speculation hats and predict where Gary Ross & Co. will split the teen homicide-packed saga! [Deadline]
The town of Shelby, NC is playing host to Gary Ross's The Hunger Games production this week, and local news is all aflutter with the goings-on around set. The Shelby Star has footage and pics from what appears to be a warehouse bearing the markings of District 12 -- home of Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson). Get your first look after the jump!
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At long last, the announcement of the final two tributes in Gary Ross's The Hunger Games brings Lionsgate's ridiculously drawn-out casting search to a close. After the jump, meet the familiar teen faces who'll portray intimidating District 2 tributes Cato and Clove, two of the more fearsome adversaries Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) must face in the arena.
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Nobody expected the Terminator series to be resuscitated after, well, Terminator Salvation -- until Arnold Schwarzenegger changed everything by announcing he was returning to the franchise. (Well, he did say he'd be back.) Now, with Fast Five's Justin Lin attached, comes another surprise development in the future of the Terminator films: A new contender has stepped up to battle for the rights to the property.
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Hot on the heels of Fast Five's post-racial success at the box office comes the first trailer for Lionsgate's Conan the Barbarian, a suitably metal-scored, sword-swinging affair featuring hunky Jason Momoa as the titular warrior. Coincidence of timing or part of a brave new movement in big, beefy action filmmaking? Consider this: the baddies are played by Rose McGowan and Avatar's Stephen Lang. Ah, fantasy: The great equalizer!
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Deadline reports a deal in progress for Lionsgate to release the Drew Goddard-directed, Joss Whedon-produced horror pic Cabin in the Woods. Filmed back in 2009 and caught up in the MGM bankruptcy fiasco, the 3-D horror thriller languished in limbo and shuffled around the release calendar numerous times in the last few years. The wait, however, could benefit from the star power of Chris Hemsworth -- Thor himself! -- who shot the film before being cast as Marvel's God of Thunder.
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Say what you will about Lionsgate's slow trickle of a casting roll-out, or director Gary Ross and novelist Suzanne Collins' choices -- Elizabeth Banks might just be the most perfectly chosen member of the Hunger Games cast thus far. Tweeting today to confirm her official involvement, Banks' enthusiasm leaped off the Twitter page as she quoted her soon-to-be onscreen alter ego, Effie Trinket.
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You've got your new Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence), Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) and Gale (Liam Hemsworth) -- now it's time to start fleshing out the rest of the Hunger Games cast. Lionsgate announced today that they've selected newcomers Dayo Okeniyi and Amandla Stenberg to play Thresh and Rue, respectively. So who are these two future tributes from the Southern climes of District 11?
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After directing Al Pacino to a Golden Globe win in last year's You Don't Know Jack, it seems Barry Levinson needed a change of pace -- like, a major 180. And that's how we come to today's news that Levinson's next film, a found footage creature horror called The Bay (working title: Isopod), has been picked up for distribution by Lionsgate.
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Extending their profitable partnership with Tyler Perry ($520 million and counting in domestic box office), the folks at Lionsgate have revealed that at least two more Madea films are in the works following next month's Madea's Big Happy Family. I know what you're thinking, folks: Only two more Madea flicks? Whatever will we do with ourselves after 2013, the year when it might all end according to the rate at which Perry's been churning out the Madea-anchored hits? Well, rest assured: In re-upping his contract, Perry also has the option of making more Madea films. Like, until the end of time itself. So huzzah! Madea 4 Eva! [Press release]
Alright, Hunger Games fans. After director Gary Ross defended the choice to cast blonde, curvy Jennifer Lawrence as the underfed brunette Katniss Everdeen in Lionsgate's adaptation of Suzanne Collins' beloved dystopian novel series, it seemed imperative that Collins explain her position on the matter herself. Today, she finally took to the interwebs to officially throw her support behind the casting move. But is her letter enough to put Hunger Games fan concern at ease?
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On the heels of today's confirmation that 20-year-old Oscar nominee Jennifer Lawrence will play Katniss Everdeen, the 16-year-old heroine of Lionsgate's The Hunger Games adaptation, EW caught up with director Gary Ross to get his explanation of the casting move. According to the interview, Lawrence's age and her blonde hair -- details that raised fan eyebrows when the Winter's Bone star first emerged as a front-runner -- are of no matter to Ross, who says the choice was "the easiest casting decision I ever made in my life." And if it makes any difference, Suzanne Collins apparently agrees.
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There's a little something wrong with the casting breakdown for Lionsgate's upcoming adaptation of Suzanne Collins' YA smash The Hunger Games. Or rather, a few little somethings: in a widely circulated casting call for the central part of Katniss, the fiercely independent young heroine of the dystopian survival trilogy, filmmakers are seeking girls who are Caucasian and look "underfed but strong." Is this fantasy franchise off to the wrong start?
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As the YA-addicted world awaits the conclusion of The Twilight Saga, internet storms are a-brewin' over the next teen franchise with Twilight-level potential: Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy. But with casting speculation at a fever pitch (director Gary Ross should anoint his chosen ones any week now), it's time for some real talk: Most of your favorite young thespians aren't going to make the cut.
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