Photo Courtesy Archer’s Club of Panem
In an attempt to continue the “Hunger Games” craze, not to mention earn as much money as possible, Lionsgate has decided to release a new movie for every chapter of the final book in the trilogy, “Mockingjay.”
Lionsgate announced March 29 that shook the dystopian fan base throughout the world. The third installment of the “Hunger Games” series, originally scheduled to release Nov. 21, will no longer encompass the entire first half of the last novel but only be the first chapter.
For no reason other than to make millions of dollars for as long as possible, the studio has decided to release a movie for each individual chapter. There are 27 chapters in the last novel, which means there will be 27 more films. Each year a film will be released in November and then the following March, totaling in 13 more years of advance tickets and shrieking teenagers at the sight of Josh Hutcherson.
Jerry Green, vice president of Lionsgate, said, “We were crunching some numbers for the upcoming film and realized all the additional money we would make by splitting Mockingjay into two films. Then someone said, ‘Why not do a film for each chapter?’”
Green said the studio was partly inspired by seeing Peter Jackson turn a 310-page book into a three-part film adaptation, with the first installment being almost three hours long.
“If he could do that, why can’t we do this? It’s the same thing. Fans went wild over those films. We’d be giving the viewers what they want,” he said.
Green also said the decision was made in part from fans’ feedback on the first two films.
“Everyone loved how closely we followed the books in the first two films. We realized we could enhance the experience by diving deeper into each chapter of the book,” he said.
Jennifer Lawrence and Hutcherson have come out publicly supporting the decision, as it will secure their financial future for the coming decade.
“Let’s face it. Everyone loves me. But once I start aging, my antics won’t be cute anymore and there will be someone younger, prettier and more outrageous. By extending the length of the series, I’m securing my financial future,” Lawrence said.
They also see this extension of the movie as a way to prolong and deepen the debate of Team Peeta vs. Team Gale. Die-hard fans have argued which male lead Katniss truly deserves to be with at the series’ conclusion, but there still seems to be no consensus as of yet. Gale supporters still will not accept (SPOILER ALERT) that Katniss chooses Peeta in the end, but Lawrence said she thinks that stretching the movie out will give the filmmakers opportunity to possibly change the outcome.
“In the end, who really knows who Katniss will choose? It’s a total toss-up. I may just flip a coin or pick whomever is looking better by the time we get to that installment of the film.”
Green also noted the series’ ever-growing popularity with each new movie.
“Sales increase with each new movie, proving the growing fan base of the Hunger Games. Can you imagine what our fan base will look like in 13 years? Basically, we’d be appealing to viewers who haven’t even been born yet. I could give you predictions, but my assistant had that information, and I just fired him for giving change to a homeless person the other day — the nerve of some people,” Green said.
The studio has not yet said if it will be filming all the movies consecutively and then wait to release them or if they will film one, release one, film one, release one, etc. A concern of fans is the actors’ appearances.
Becky Wallow, a freshman entertainment and arts management major, said, “If Jennifer Lawrence is 30 and playing Katniss, that’s wrong. They’ll have to replace her with someone more fitting for the role.”
When asked whether or not he believes this production system would work, Green said he has no doubts.
“Let’s be serious for a minute: No one reads books anymore. Those who already read the books: fine, OK, you win, but the younger generations don’t even know what a book looks like. This means the only way for viewers to find out what happens is to come watch all 27 films,” Green said.