Lionsgate has released the first trailer for director Francis Lawrence‘s (Water for Elephants) sequel, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.  The darkness and melancholy of the first film has only intensified, but this trailer only tells half the story.  We’re shown the victors’ tour, and how President Snow (Donald Sutherland) is trying to tear down the hope-inspiring image of Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) before killing her.  Only at the end of the trailer, do we hear about the second part of the story, which is the “Quarter Quell”, a special Hunger Games where past winners will be forced to fight to the death.  I assume they left this out because it’s the more effects-heavy part of the story, and that footage is moving through post-production.

The film also stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Sam Claflin, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jena Malone, Jeffrey Wright, and Amanda Plummer.  The Hunger Games: Catching Fire opens on November 22nd in IMAX and traditional theaters.

Lionsgate has released a new teaser poster and some high-resolution images for the highly anticipated upcoming sequel, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.  We previously saw a motion poster for the Francis Lawrence-directed adaptation, and this still poster is not entirely dissimilar from that piece of marketing.  The first images from the film were recently released, giving us a look at Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson, and Liam Hemsworth, as well as new cast additions Sam Claflin and Philip Seymour Hoffman.  With this barrage of material coming our way over the past couple weeks, I imagine a teaser trailer will be popping up soon.

Hit the jump to check out the poster along with high-resolution versions of the previously released images and a new image featuring director Francis Lawrence on set.  The film also stars Elizabeth Banks,  Donald Sutherland, Jena Malone,  Jeffrey Wright, and Amanda Plummer.  The Hunger Games: Catching Fire opens on November 22nd.

The marketing campaign for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire kicked off in earnest yesterday with the first images from the film, revealing the return of Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth as well as our first look at Sam Claflin as fan-favorite character Finnick.  Another batch of images has landed online today, giving us a peek at Philip Seymour Hoffman as new Head Gamesmaker Plutarch Heavensbee (yes, the names are increasingly ridiculous) and the return of Woody Harrelson as Haymitch.  Moreover, director Francis Lawrence has revealed three characters from the book that didn’t make it into the movie.

Hit the jump for the images and info.  The Hunger Games: Catching Fire opens on November 22nd.

Though the Twilight franchise recently came to a close with the release of Breaking Dawn – Part 2, another wildly popular YA franchise is only just getting started.  Production is currently underway in Atlanta on the second installment in the Hunger Games series, Catching Fire, and fans are eager to see what director Francis Lawrence will bring to the adaptation after taking over the director’s chair from Hunger Games helmer Gary Ross.  Star Josh Hutcherson recently spoke a bit about how the shoot is going, teasing some impressive set designs and revealing which scenes from the pic will be filmed with IMAX cameras.

Hit the jump to see what he had to say, but beware of spoilers for those that haven’t read the book.  The Hunger Games: Catching Fire opens on November 22, 2013.

Just in time for Thanksgiving, a teaser motion poster for the upcoming sequel The Hunger Games: Catching Fire has been released online.  The motion poster was actually attached to screenings of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 in the form of a teaser trailer, so it served to ensure Twihards that even though their brooding vampire series is over, there’s more teen goodness on the way.  The poster also reveals what looks to be the film’s tagline, “Every Revolution Begins with a Spark.” Francis Lawrence takes over directing duties from Gary Ross this time around (he’ll also be directing the two-part finale, Mockingjay) and core cast members Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth are joined by newcomers Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jena Malone, Sam Claflin, Jeffrey Wright, and Amanda Plummer.

Hit the jump to see the Hunger Games logo catch fire.  The film also stars Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, and Donald Sutherland.  The Hunger Games: Catching Fire opens on November 22, 2013.

Just when I thought my limited edition poster appetite was satisfied, the Halloween season rolls around and Mondo drops this beauty from Ken Taylor for John Carpenter‘s masterpiece. Given that I wasn’t fortunate enough to attend the benefit at L.A.’s New Beverly Cinema where the print’s Regular edition of 225 was released for only $100 (which included a ticket to the screening no less!), I’m now banished to dealing with sellers who are already asking upwards of four times that number. Sigh. What’s a guy to do but drop ridiculous amounts of money on movie art?

But enough of Hoarders: Collectible Movie Poster Edition, standing out from this past week’s headlines is the huge news regarding Disney’s purchase of Lucasfilm and the launch of a new Star Wars trilogy beginning in 2015, Wreck-It Ralph interviews with John C. Reilly and more, our American Film Market 2012 coverage, Francis Lawrence helming the remainder of The Hunger Games franchise (including a two-part adaptation of Mockingjay), and special Election 2012 assets including Joss Whedon‘s endorsement of the Zomney Apocalypse and the return of Idiocracy‘s President Dwayne Elizando Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho. Hit the jump for a brief recap and link to each.

We have just learned that Francis Lawrence, who was hired to direct The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, has now been tapped to helm the remainder of the series.  While author Suzanne Collins‘ The Hunger Games books amount to a trilogy, Lionsgate has split the final novel, Mockingjay into two parts, as is now the custom for major adaptation of best-selling book series.

It is worth noting that Gary Ross, who directed the first film, decided to pass on Catching Fire because he felt he wouldn’t have enough time to write and prep and the movie he wanted to make because of the tight production schedule.  For Lawrence, this is apparently not an obstacle.  He is currently filming Catching Fire, and will then presumably set to work immediately on The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2.  Catching Fire will open November 22, 2013.  Part 1 is due out on November 21, 2014 and Part 2 is set for November 20, 2015.  Hit the jump for a synopsis of Mockingjay. [Update: Lionsgate has now sent out a press release confirming our report.  We've added the press release after the jump.]

Rejoice, The Hunger Games fans!  Production has officially started on the Francis Lawrence-directed follow-up, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.  According to their press release, the film “will shoot primarily in existing locations in and near Atlanta, Georgia.  The film will subsequently be shot on location in the beaches and jungles of Hawaii before wrapping in late December, 2012.”  Perhaps more importantly, the director has recorded a video message for fans, announcing a worldwide sweepstakes that will win some lucky fans a chance to visit the set and participate in a cast and crew Q&A!

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire stars Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson, in addition to Sam Claflin, Jeffrey Wright, Tony Shalhoub, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jena Malone, Amanda Plummer, Lynn Cohen, Bruno Gunn, Alan Ritchson, E. Roger Mitchell, Meta Golding, Elizabeth Banks, Donald Sutherland and Woody Harrelson.  Hit the jump for the video from Francis Lawrence and details on the fan set visit contest. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire opens November 22, 2013.

Tony Award-winning actor Jeffrey Wright is the latest addition to the cast of the sequel The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.  Lionsgate announced today that Wright will take on the supporting role of Beetee in the Francis Lawrence-helmed adaptation of the second novel in Suzanne Collins’ trilogy.  It’s really tough to talk about this movie without getting into spoilers, but the incredibly smart Beetee hails from District 3 and is known for his electronics expertise.

Tony Shalhoub was previously mentioned as a possibility for the role, but I think Wright is a more inspired choice.  Beetee has quite a few scenes with the character Wiress, another District 3-native who will be played by Amanda Plummer.  Wright and Plummer join a fairly impressive list of newcomers that now includes Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jena Malone, and Sam Claflin. Hit the jump to read the press release.  The Hunger Games: Catching Fire opens on November 22nd, 2013.

Here’s today’s casting news in brief with details to follow:

• The Hunger Games: Catching Fire has added Stephanie Leigh Schlund (The Last Song) to their list of tributes.  Schlund will star opposite Jennifer Lawrence in the Francis Lawrence-directed sequel.
• August: Osage County brings in Dermot Mulroney (My Best Friend’s Wedding) to join the family that already features Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts and Juliette Lewis.
• Robin Wright (The Princess Bride) is being courted to star in A Most Wanted Man, an adaptation of the John le Carre novel scripted by Andrew Bovell and directed by Anton Corbijn.

Hit the jump for more details on each project.

Some new casting assignments for you today and the Lion’s(gate) share comes from The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, which is finalizing its supporting roles.  Here’s the news in brief:

• The Hunger Games: Catching Fire has added E. Roger Mitchell (S.W.A.T.) and Meta Golding (Surrogates) to its ranks.  The sequel, starring Jennifer Lawrence, opens November 22nd, 2013.
• Garcelle Beauvais (Franklin & Bash) has joined the cast of Presidential thriller, White House Down, the Roland Emmerich-directed film starring Channing Tatum as a Secret Service agent tasked with protecting the President (Jamie Foxx) after a hostile takeover of the White House.

Hit the jump for more information.

Director Francis Lawrence has found his Mags for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.  Lionsgate announced today that actress Lynn Cohen (Munich, Sex and the City) has been tapped to play the character of Mags.  She’s an 80-year-old woman who was a victor in The Hunger Games from District 4.  I’m not sure how much of the plot will be revealed in trailers and such, so for fear of spoilers I’ll leave the character description at that.  Mags isn’t exactly a lead character, but she’s not necessarily insignificant either.  Hit the jump for more, including a rundown of what actors will be playing the new characters found in Catching Fire.

With the immense success of this year’s The Hunger Games both critically and commercially, all eyes are on how new director Francis Lawrence will handled the follow-up, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.  The film is slated to begin production in a few short months, and there are a number of new characters from Suzanne Collins’ second entry in The Hunger Games franchise that will be popping up.  Probably the two most important new additions are Finnick Odair and Johanna Mason.  We previously heard some iffy rumors regarding actors being considered for the former, but now two intriguing names have popped up as possibilities for the Johanna role: Mia Wasikowska and Zoe Aggeliki.  Hit the jump for more.  Possible minor spoilers for Catching Fire may follow.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is headed to IMAX screens this November.  It’s not too surprising since an IMAX release is the new norm for blockbuster features.  However, the IMAX announcement for The Hunger Games came much closer to the film’s release date.  Shooting on the sequel isn’t set to begin until fall, but THR reports that director Francis Lawrence will film certain sequences using IMAX cameras.  Having movies blown up for IMAX is fine, but I’m always excited when actual IMAX cameras are being used, and I’m curious to see what Lawrence has in mind for the highly-anticipated sequel.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is due out November 22, 2013.  The film stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci, Lenny Kravitz, Donald Sutherland, and possibly Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Recently, Robert Pattinson (Twilight) put rumors to rest and confirmed he would not be jumping franchises to join The Hunger Games sequel, Catching Fire.  The role in question was that of Finnick Odair, a fellow contestant in the games of the second book from Suzanne Collins’ bestselling trilogy.  It’s now looking like the frontrunners for the role may be Taylor Kitsch (Battleship), Garrett Hedlund (TRON: Legacy) and Armie Hammer (Mirror Mirror).  While the casting might seem a bit premature at the moment, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is on a bit of a short schedule owing to star Jennifer Lawrence’s prior commitments and a screen debut of November 22nd, 2013.  Presumably returning for the sequel to Lionsgate’s newest moneymaker are Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci, Lenny Kravitz and Donald Sutherland with director Francis Lawrence.  Hit the jump for more on the casting of Catching Fire.