DETAILS: 'Catching Fire' At Comic Con

Comic Con has published their schedule and Lionsgate's Catching Fire and I, Frankenstein panel is set for Saturday, July 20th from 1:35-2:35pm in Hall H. 

I, Frankenstein stars Aaron Eckhart and Yvonne Strahovski appear with film director/writerStuart Beattie and graphic novel author/writer Kevin Grevioux. Plus, the cast of the highly anticipated second installment of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire comes to Hall H for the first time. Panel moderated by Fandango chief correspondent Dave Karger. Never-before-seen footage is showcased from both films. Includes Q&A opportunity.

Saturday July 20, 2013 1:35pm - 2:35pm 
Hall H

No word yet on which cast members will attend the panel. 

'Catching Fire' Could Gross More Than 900 Million Worldwide

Variety reports that one industry analyst predicts Catching Fire will gross $900 million worldwide. This is also boosting Lionsgate's stock to an all time high.

Piper Jaffray said Tuesday it recommended the stock as its favorite mid-cap name in 2013 and singled out Catching Fire, due out Nov. 22.

“While the second Hunger Games film is an obvious catalyst, we see a number of other interesting initiatives across the company that will drive value,” analyst James Marsh wrote. “The film release slate is looking deeper (Red 2, Ender’s Game, Divergent), we like the odds of a Twilight extension, and international distribution deal economics are improving. 

David Miller of BRiley & Co. issued a similarly bullish report and repeated his $34 target, predicting that Catching Fire will gross $900 million worldwide. That’s 22% above the $691 million gross for The Hunger Games, will Miller noting that the popularity of the Hunger Games book trilogy has “exploded” overseas since last year’s release of the first film.

Read more at Variety

Woody Harrelson on Being Part of 'The Hunger Games' Franchise: "I love it"

Woody Harrelson spoke with ShortList while promoting his movie Now You See Me, and revealed that he "really loves" being part of The Hunger Games franchise. 

Photo by Matt Sayles/AP

And then, of course, there’s The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Can you tell us how that’s coming along?

I haven’t seen it, but I’ve heard it’s looking great.

How does it feel for you to be part of a big juggernaut franchise? It’s the first time you’ve…

...it’s the first time I’ve been a part of something that’s a hit [laughs].

No, it’s just that being part of a huge blockbuster is not something people would associate with you.

I love it. I really love it. I said no at first. But the director called me and he said, “You’ve got to do this for me, I don’t have a second choice.” He was so passionate about it, and I thought, “Well if you want me to do it that bad, I’ll do it.” Just one conversation made me throw the dice. That was it, and now I’m part of this incredible franchise.

Were you surprised by how big it became?

Yes I was. I didn’t know what I was stepping into.

A lot of people have said Hollywood is relying too much on big franchises at the moment. Do you think that’s true?

Well, Hollywood is so many diverse things; you have indies that I love. But when you’re looking at studios, they need to make money. They’re giant corporations, so I understand that in getting something that is working, you stick with it. Most times, sequels aren’t as good as the original, and I hope that’s not the case for The Hunger Games. I haven’t seen it, but if it is as good, why not? I don’t have a moral issue with it, I get the idea. F*ck it. Do it.

Read the rest of the article at ShortList.com

Josh Hutcherson Talks Catching Fire With Ryan Seacrest

Josh Hutcherson called in to "On Air With Ryan Seacrest" this morning and one of the first things they discussed was Catching Fire!

"I think on this movie the story kind of opens up a lot. There's a lot more interesting plots that start to develop and thicken. We up the overall feel of the movie. We came the same idea of the first with, like, the overall world but just kind of bumped it up a little and made it more immersive. We stayed true to the book, as always, the characters are all fantastic. We got some amazing actors to come in - Phillip Seymour Hoffman, you know it was pretty incredible to work with all these guys."

Seacrest asked, "Fans want to know about this Katniss and Peeta relationship. Does it develop in a way that's going to have me on the edge of my fabric seat in the theater?"

"Absolutely!Absolutely! I can't divulge any kind of plot details but it's up and down. Katniss and Peeta's relationship is very complicated. It has a lot of little things that have to be worked out. It's good. People will be very, very satisfied with it and that's all I'm going to say about the relationship."

He wouldn't admit if they kissed but admited that when he kisses actresses professionaly there is a "natural stirring." Who just died? 

Josh also talked about his charity basketball tournament benefitting Straight But Not Narrow and a contest he's running to for two winners attend the tournament, hang with him, AND film a PSA for SBNN with him. More details to follow about the contest. For tickets to his basketball tournament go to Nike3on3.com. More details about the contest at Omaze.com/Josh

Lionsgate Booth At Licensing Expo 2013

Lionsgate is at Licensing Expo 2013 In Las Vegas this week showcasing The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. Comingsoon.net got a peek at the booth. Lionsgate is likely there to initiate licensing deals for promotional Catching Fire merchandise and product tie-ins. No new footage is expected to be shown at the expo. 

Teens React to the Catching Fire Trailer from The Fine Bros

A brand new video from the Fine Brothers Teens React series features the Catching Fire trailer. It's always hilarious to see people fangirling over the trailer and a great reality check (for us) to see that not EVERYONE is a hardcore fan. Who are these people?!?!

Suzanne Collins Plans to Write Another YA Series

Suzanne Collins and Walter Dean Myers at BEA

Stop the presses! Or start them - please! Suzanne Collins is at BookExpo America in New York this week to promote her upcoming children's book Year of the Jungle, and she revealed to USA Today that she has plans to write another teen series. But first she has to work on a couple little projects called Mockingjay Parts 1 & 2:

Suzanne Collins, author of the best-selling The Hunger Games trilogy, plans to write another teen series but isn't ready to reveal more.

First, she says, she's consulting on the scripts for the third and fourth film adaptations of her dystopian series that has more than 50 million copies in print. (Catching Fire, the second movie, again starring Jennifer Lawrence, will be released Nov. 22. And nearly four years after the book's publication, the paperback of Catching Fire finally hits stores Tuesday. Mockingjay, the series finale, will be split into two films, out in 2014 and 2015).

On Sept. 10, Collins releases an autobiographical picture book, Year of the Jungle, illustrated by James Proimos, about her memories of 1968, when she was 6, and her father had "to go to something called a war…in a place called Vietnam." At a discussion Thursday night on writing about war for young readers, sponsored by her publisher, Scholastic, Collins said if kids "have no idea what propaganda is, how will you ever know when it's being used against you?"

She was joined by Walter Dean Myers, whose World War II novel, Invasion (out Oct. 1), is a prequel to Fallen Angels (about Vietnam) and Sunrise Over Fallujah (Iraq). Myers, whose brother was killed in Vietnam and whose son served in Iraq, was asked why he keeps writing novels that depict the horrors of war. He replied, "because we keep having wars." 

Scans of 'Catching Fire' Article In Empire Magazine July 2013 Issue

Empire Magazine has a feature in their July 2013 Issue called, "Hungry For More? Director Francis Lawrence on Katniss' Return in Catching Fire." Here are the magazine scans: