Last book in series = two movies

[PennLady]

From Salon.com:

‘Hunger Games’ finales set for 2014, 2015 release
By Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The final book in “The Hunger Games” trilogy is coming to the big-screen in two parts starting in 2014.

Lionsgate Films announced Tuesday that “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1″ will be released Nov. 21, 2014, and “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2″ will follow on Nov. 20, 2015.

The filmmakers are following the lead of two other teen-based literary franchises, “Harry Potter” and “Twilight,” whose final books were broken into two parts for film.

“Mockingjay, Part 1″ will come out a year after the Nov. 22, 2012, release of “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” the second film based on Suzanne Collins’ novels about televised death matches in a future North American society.

Starring Jennifer Lawrence, “The Hunger Games” debuted last March and has taken in nearly $700 million worldwide.

I have read all of these books. None are very long. I have a hard time seeing this book broken into two movies. At least the seventh HP book was long, as I believe the final Twilight book was (judging by book size). It's going to be hard enough to make that THG final book a movie, but two? Bleah.

 

[lovecraft68]

From Salon.com:



I have read all of these books. None are very long. I have a hard time seeing this book broken into two movies. At least the seventh HP book was long, as I believe the final Twilight book was (judging by book size). It's going to be hard enough to make that THG final book a movie, but two? Bleah.

All about the dollars, not the integrity of the book.

Scary to see the year 2015 being talked about. Not sure why, just is.

I was at the movies this weekend to see Spiderman and saw there is a fourth Twilight movie coming out "Forever" is that the second movie for the third book, or is this another book?

 

[PennLady]

All about the dollars, not the integrity of the book.

Scary to see the year 2015 being talked about. Not sure why, just is.

I was at the movies this weekend to see Spiderman and saw there is a fourth Twilight movie coming out "Forever" is that the second movie for the third book, or is this another book?

I never said it wasn't about the dollars. I'm just noting that on sheer length, if nothing else, breaking the last Potter book into two movies made some sense. It likely could have been cut down into one 2-3 hr movie, but I think it's better as is. Same with Twilight, as I said, and I haven't read those, only noted how thick the book is (can't say about the movies as I haven't seen any).

I just checked Wikipedia and the final Twilight movie, Part 2 of "Breaking Dawn," is set for a November release this year. Perhaps "Forever" is the subtitle for that? Or some sort of tag line?

 

[lovecraft68]

I never said it wasn't about the dollars. I'm just noting that on sheer length, if nothing else, breaking the last Potter book into two movies made some sense. It likely could have been cut down into one 2-3 hr movie, but I think it's better as is. Same with Twilight, as I said, and I haven't read those, only noted how thick the book is (can't say about the movies as I haven't seen any).

I just checked Wikipedia and the final Twilight movie, Part 2 of "Breaking Dawn," is set for a November release this year. Perhaps "Forever" is the subtitle for that? Or some sort of tag line?

It was just a poster of Bella's face and it said "Forever"

She had red eyes and my nephew said she is supposed to have powers in it. I have no clue where that falls in the Twilight saga, never read them.

I do find myself curious about Hunger Games though. My daughter has them I might take a look at book one.

 

[PennLady]

It was just a poster of Bella's face and it said "Forever"

She had red eyes and my nephew said she is supposed to have powers in it. I have no clue where that falls in the Twilight saga, never read them.

I do find myself curious about Hunger Games though. My daughter has them I might take a look at book one.

Sounds like "Forever" is just a slogan/tagline for the movie posters for the upcoming and last movie. Likely it refers to the fact that at this point in the story, Bella is a vampire and will live forever.

FWIW, I recommend The Hunger Games. I have my reservations about it, but overall it's well-paced and plotted. The setting is interesting, as is the socio-political background of the story in general. I read all three books (as e-books) within a week, I think.

They are written in first person, present tense, so if that puts you off you may not like them. It's not my favorite device but it was outweighed by other factors and I got to the point of not really noticing.

 

[lovecraft68]

Sounds like "Forever" is just a slogan/tagline for the movie posters for the upcoming and last movie. Likely it refers to the fact that at this point in the story, Bella is a vampire and will live forever.

FWIW, I recommend The Hunger Games. I have my reservations about it, but overall it's well-paced and plotted. The setting is interesting, as is the socio-political background of the story in general. I read all three books (as e-books) within a week, I think.

They are written in first person, present tense, so if that puts you off you may not like them. It's not my favorite device but it was outweighed by other factors and I got to the point of not really noticing.

Because I've spent the last couple of years writing most of my stories in 1st, that won't put me off at all.

In fact when I started writing my novel in second I realized I was having a hard time "sliding back"

 

[MaxSebastian]

It was just a poster of Bella's face and it said "Forever"

Sounds like a threat to me.

I say we do not give in to terrorism.

 

[3113]

Sounds like "Forever" is just a slogan/tagline for the movie posters for the upcoming and last movie. Likely it refers to the fact that at this point in the story, Bella is a vampire and will live forever.

Actually, more like she becomes a vampire and so can be with Edward "forever!"--remember, in Twilight it's not about living forever, it's about remaining a high school teen-in-love forever. Forever young, forever obsessively in love and obsessively loved, forever happy in the vampire Mormon compound commune summer camp (i.e. never having to go back to your parents, but living, instead, with boyfriend, with his lenient and cool father figure who pays the bills, and with the perfect group of partying sibling teens who all understand you and love you back)....

This is a romantic teen fantasy, and if there's one things teens want to be once they've found that boyfriend/girlfriend is inseparable from them.

 

[PennLady]

I forget where I read it, but at one point I came across an article on Twilight, which said (and I must paraphrase) how smart can these vampires really be? They're hundreds of years old and -- still in high school. That's the best they can do?

Haven't been able to to take it seriously since reading that.

 

[TxRad]

I forget where I read it, but at one point I came across an article on Twilight, which said (and I must paraphrase) how smart can these vampires really be? They're hundreds of years old and -- still in high school. That's the best they can do?

Haven't been able to to take it seriously since reading that.

I always thought vampires went to night school.

 

[PennLady]

I always thought vampires went to night school.

Yeah, that sparkling in the daylight was distracting to the other students.

And how long does night school take? My dad got his college degree on the GI Bill and it took 8 yrs or so. It takes hundreds of years to graduate high school? Have these guys never heard of a GED?

 

[3113]

I forget where I read it, but at one point I came across an article on Twilight, which said (and I must paraphrase) how smart can these vampires really be? They're hundreds of years old and -- still in high school. That's the best they can do?

Well, actually, when you think about it, it's pretty smart. I mean, if you were an old man (sic) in the body of a young man, wouldn't you keep going to high school so you could always have the hottest young babes? All hormone charged and falling all over you (being too young to be discerning or want anything more than to have a cool boyfriend)? And wouldn't you think, "Whoa! I've got it made! These hot young babes are all after me--even though I'm a hundred-and-one years old!--and I never have to worry about being arrested as a dirty old man! Sweet!"

When looked at that way, it makes perfect sense that they'd never leave high school.

 

[TxRad]

Well, actually, when you think about it, it's pretty smart. I mean, if you were an old man (sic) in the body of a young man, wouldn't you keep going to high school so you could always have the hottest young babes? All hormone charged and falling all over you (being too young to be discerning or want anything more than to have a cool boyfriend)? And wouldn't you think, "Whoa! I've got it made! These hot young babes are all after me--even though I'm a hundred-and-one years old!--and I never have to worry about being arrested as a dirty old man! Sweet!"

When looked at that way, it makes perfect sense that they'd never leave high school.

I think this is why a friend of mine failed the eleventh grade four times. Maybe he was a lot smarter than we all thought.

 

[mcguinness]

I've often suspected this happens because so many modern authors suck at middle books. The second (or third, or fourth, or fifth) book is nothing but filler and the final book is where things finally happen.

 

[3113]

Movie series vs. writers--opposite?

I've often suspected this happens because so many modern authors suck at middle books. The second (or third, or fourth, or fifth) book is nothing but filler and the final book is where things finally happen.

It's interesting that movie series are often the opposite of that. Not always, but often. The first movie is good enough as that origin story, but usually the second is better as the audience now knows the world and characters, and the screenwriter, director and actors, can now really delve into a story rather than trying to introduce all that to the audience.

Yet when it comes to the third movie, it's like the director, actors and screenwriters did all they wanted in 2 and are just going through the motions.

Examples the come to mind: Star Trek the movie 2 was brilliant compared to the really stupid Star Trek the Movie 1, Christopher Reeves Superman 2 was better than Superman 1, the Toby McGuire Spiderman 2 was better than Spiderman 1, X-Men 2 movie was better than X-Men 1, and Batman "Dark Knight" was really fantastic, better than "Batman Begins." Yet the third movie in each of those series fell flat. No one remembers Star Trek 3, or Superman 3; Spiderman 3 was a disappointment as was X-Men 3.

Maybe Batman 3 will break the pattern? But these movies do *tend* to do the opposite of what writers do--the first movie may be good, but it's the second movie that really shines and the third that falls down, rather than second falling down and third coming back as with books.

 

[KlaytonFrost]

Totally agree that the third book is nowhere *near* long enough to warrant two films. How utterly disappointing. The first Hunger Games movie was actually quite enjoyable... almost made me think the filmmakers cared about the story. And then they go and do a thing like this. Sigh.