The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Character Images Revealed, Soundtrack’s First Single Released
Katniss is ready…for more promos! The Hunger Games: Catching Fire opens in theaters in about two months, so Lionsgate is ramping up promotional materials to build awareness for the all-important opening weekend. Feast your eyes on 20 (yes, I said 20) new images from Catching Fire, featuring a majority of the deadly competition’s tributes along with a few elder statesmen and supporting players.
Considering that this is also the Third Quarter Quell, the tributes for the 75th Hunger Games look much older than in the previous competition. It appears Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark might just be the youngest out of the lot of 24 Tributes. Jenna Malone as District 7’s Johanna Mason looks mighty fierce! The new character images also feature an extravagant Elizabeth Banks as Capitol pill Effie Trinket, while Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman looks like he has the whitest teeth imaginable. Also, is there any way to take Lenny Kravitz seriously as an actor?
A few days ago, Lionsgate also released Coldplay’s “Atlas” as the first single from the Catching Fire soundtrack. While the entire soundtrack isn’t available for purchase yet, Coldplay’s tune will keep you going until the full album is released this November. I’m not a fan of Coldplay’s music (they just sound like a safer and less interesting version of Radiohead), but “Atlas” is a fitting song for Catching Fire. Truth be told, I prefer Taylor Swift’s single “Safe & Sound” from the first Hunger Games movie.
The sequel film will pick up with Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) returning to their very poor home District 12. They are now champions of the 74th Hunger Games, but their homecoming is short-lived, as they are ordered to return to the Capitol for the annual Victory Tour of Panem.
While on tour, Katniss learns more about the simmering rebellion against President Snow (Donald Sutherland). She becomes the new symbol of hope for all of Panem. Katniss and Peeta later participate in the Third Quarter Quell, or 75th Hunger Games, which is comprised of winners from the past 25 years. In the meantime, President Snow threatens to kill Katniss, so he can finally stop the signs of rebellion around him.
Francis Lawrence was hired to direct Catching Fire after Hunger Games director Gary Ross left the film to pursue other projects. Lawrence will continue on with the series to direct its sequels, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 and Part 2. Catching Fire also features actors Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Stanley Tucci, Toby Jones, Jena Malone, Lynn Cohen, Amanda Plummer, Alan Ritchson, Willow Shields, and Sam Claflin as Finnick Odair.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire will hit theaters everywhere on November 22, in IMAX. Listen to “Safe & Sound” from Taylor Swift featuring The Civil Wars below for a comparison. Coldplay’s “Atlas” is available from amazon.com and iTunes.
