12 Jul – It will be even harder for Suzanne Collins to shake off the "Twilight" comparisons with her "The Hunger Games" series now that Lionsgate has announced that they would be splitting the final book of "The Hunger Games" trilogy, "Mockingjay", into two, much like "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn", with the two movies to be released a year apart.
According to Deadline, "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1" would be released on 21 November 2014, followed by "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2" on 15 November 2015.
If anything, this announcement seems a bit too soon for the studio, considering that production for "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire", the second book in the series, has not even begun. Filming is expected to begin in September in order to make the planned release date on 22 November 2013.
Meanwhile, Academy Award-winner Phillip Seymour Hoffman has been confirmed for the role of Plutarch Heavensbee, the new Gamemaker who replaces Wes Bentley's Seneca Crane after his not-so-happy-ending.
"I Am Legend" director Francis Lawrence would be helming the second instalment after "The Hunger Games" director Gary Ross backed out of the project. Lead stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth and Woody Harrelson are set to reprise their roles as Katniss Everdeen, Peeta Mellark, Gale Hawthorne and Haymitch Abernathy, respectively.
