It’s common to see film directors not sticking around to direct all of the movies in the franchise they started out with. After all, director Catherine Hardwicke left Twilight behind after the first movie to film Red Riding Hood. Chris Columbus dropped out after the first two Harry Potter films as he found directing them "exhausting.” So, what’s The Hunger Games' Gary Ross’s reasoning? Known for turning black-and-white into color in his directorial debut Pleasantville and his Academy Award-nominated film Seabiscuit, Gary Ross explains why he did not continue directing more Hunger Games movies after the first one.

Gary Ross spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the challenges of filming The Hunger Games films. He explained that he was a writer and a director for the first film which was a lot to take on. Ross expressed no regrets about leaving the dystopian film franchise as he got to make the film Free State of Jones. While he admits that this film may not have been so popular with audiences, he still considers it his favorite project. 

This Academy Award-nominated director offered audiences a different vision for adapting The Hunger Games than what appeared in the Suzanne Collins book. Ross promised a PG-13 movie of The Hunger Games in order for teen fans of the book to come to see it. If the movie were to keep the first book's grisly images of teen slaughters, this movie would have definitely needed an R-rating. It wouldn’t be fair, of course, for teens to have to worry about sneaking into an R-rated film of young adult adaptation they admire and love. 

When Gary Ross first confirmed that he would not make Catching Fire, the second film of the series, Lionsgate was reportedly “shocked” at the decision. However, Ross said that working on The Hunger Games was the “happiest experience” of his professional career. With this successful film franchise launching the careers of actors like Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen and Amandla Stenberg who played Rue, Gary Ross should feel grateful for taking part in the start of this franchise.

This may not be the last time that we see Gary Ross team up with Jennifer Lawrence as it was said a while back they would team up for the East of Eden remake. She would be playing the antagonistic character of Cathy Ames who abandoned her children and worked as a prostitute. It would be an interesting take to see this character onscreen as the 1955 version did not have any scenes of the first half of the John Steinbeck novel. While there have been no updates yet on the future book adaptation, let’s hope this is another successful project we have yet to see of Gary Ross and Jennifer Lawrence. 

If you want to know the future projects of Gary Ross going forward, stay tuned with CinemaBlend on the latest information on upcoming movies and more.

In the wake of the #MeToo and #OscarsSoWhite movements, there has been a call for more inclusion and diversity in the filmmaking industry. And while all-female movies like the recent Ghosbusters remake were met with massive backlash, Ocean's 8 fared far better. Gary Ross' heist film was a fun ride with an all-star cast, and managed to accrue an impressive amount of money at the box office. Part of the reason for this success is no doubt Ocean's 8's thrilling and surprising ending heist, which may have given the film enough shocking moments to bring on a sequel. Here's exactly how it all went down.

How They Pulled It Off

The Ocean's franchise is known for its exciting heists, combined with signature cinematography and editing. Ocean's 8 took us from Vegas to New York, at the annual Met Gala. The team of seven women was assembled and took different roles in the big heist, which included deep undercover work by Sarah Paulson's Tammy.

On the night of the event, designer Rose (Helena Bohman Carter) helps dress Anne Hathaway's delightfully abhorrent Daphne Kluger. Lou (Cate Blanchett) drugs Daphne's soup at dinner, causing her to run to the bathroom to be violently ill, and allowing Constance (Awkwafina) to slip the targeted Cartier necklace off Daphne's neck. Then Amita (Mindy Kaling) took the necklace apart and separated the diamonds. When Tammy produced the fake necklace, suspicions are lowered, allowing each member of the crew to take pieces of the real necklace out discreetly.

It's an almost dizzying sequence, with quite a few roadblocks in the way of the ladies' victory. There are plenty of surprising moments in the overall sequence, and since there were large gaps in the plan that the audience wasn't privy to, its doubly exciting.

The Extra Layers To Debbie's Plan

Sitting in the audience of Ocean's 8, one comes to realize that the big heist is completed fairly early into the 110 minute runtime. There's a substantial third act in the wake of Debbie plan, where Sandra Bullock's protagonist breaks down a few more details that she kept from the ladies.

To start, she had to pin the heist on somebody else. This person came in the form of Debbie's ex and the man who sent her to prison, Claude Becker (Richard Armitage). When the crew was escaping the Met Gala with their pieces of the Cartier necklace, Debbie walked by Claude and slipped a piece of it into his pocket. This was used to frame him, especially when the authorities are eventually tipped off.

The big final gag of Ocean's 8 comes when it's revealed that the Toussaint wasn't the only piece of jewelry swiped from the Met Gala. In the midst of the chaos and search for the necklace, the Heavenly Bodies exhibit was cleared out of guests. During this time, Debbie managed to also steal all of those antique pieces of jewelry, ultimately upping the price and allowing for the eighth member of the team to get an equal cut.

Daphne Kruger Steals The Show

The feedback most commonly associated with Ocean's 8's performances are that Anne Hathaway basically wins the entire movie. Hathaway plays shallow actress Daphne Kruger with pitch perfection, and really chews the scenery in every one of her scenes. And while she was a great source for a punch line and an eye roll, Kruger ended up being more than just the target of Debbie's heist.

It turns out Daphne wasn't as oblivious as she thought, and realized Rose Weil was being shifty as they were preparing for the Gala. While she had the ability to turn the team over to the authorities, Lou and Debbie got her involved instead. She assists in framing Claude Becker, while also keeping James Corden's insurance fraud investigator off the heels of the group.

Daphne's surprising capability is one of the threads that seems easiest to pull for a potential Ocean's 8 sequel. Her celebrity (especially as a new film director) will likely give them access to new heist opportunities, allowing the ladies to get back together. We'll just have to wait and see.

James Corden Isn't Great At His Job

At a moment where Ocean's 8 had the potential to dip in pacing and energy, James Corden makes his debut as insurance fraud investigator John Frazier. He brings a ton of excitement and his brand of humor into the role, but he's not really great at his job. When Frazier confronts Debbie for being present at the Met Gala, he's quick to take her alibi and move on. He just wants someone to pin the crime on, and is all too happy to have Claude Becker arrested for his "crimes." While this works out for the plot of Ocean's 8, the guy kinda needs a demotion.

When John Frazier and Debbie Ocean meet in New York, he's fairly certain she's the one responsible for the disappearance of the Toussaint necklace's disappearance. He had a history with the Ocean family (more on them later), and knows that it can't be a coincidence that the film's protagonist was present at the place of such a massive theft. But then he quickly lets it go, and is happy to pin it on Becker as long as it means his obligations are filled. Lucky for Debbie.

Those Quick Cameos

Part of what makes a reboot or spinoff movie is the ability to function outside of the greater franchise. This is one of the ways Ocean's 8 succeeds, as it doesn't rely on the lore or characters that audiences grew accustomed to in the most recent franchise. Instead, the nods are subtle and quick, and only a few quick cameos end up appearing in the finished product. In fact, Matt Damon filmed his own role, which ultimately ended up on the cutting room floor. And while you might spend the film's final moments expecting George Clooney to pop out of his grave, it never happens.

Instead, Elliot Gould's Reuben Tishkoff pops up, as does Qin Shaobo's almost superpowered Yen. Reuben shows up during the film's first act, shortly after Debbie is released from prison. After visiting her brother's grave (RIP Clooney), Reuben meets her outside. He gives her some advice regarding her long awaited scheme, and is dressed in his typical flamboyance. But after his brief scene, we don't see him again.

Yen's appearance brings one of Ocean's 8's most shocking moments. When Debbie reveals her hidden plan for more money, we learn it was Yen who snuck into the Met and used his acrobatic skills to steal the Crown Jewels. He's apparently an old pal of Cate Blanchett's Lou, and we see as he navigates the heist with the same uniqueness as he did over a decade ago.

With the call for proper inclusion and more dynamic female characters coming from all over Hollywood, Ocean's 8 seems to answer the call. Gary Ross crafted a spinoff of the beloved heist franchise, featuring an all-star cast of actresses who each bring something unique to the table. Cate Blanchett is one of the bigger characters, playing Debbie Ocean's partner in crime and bestie Lou. I got the chance to speak with Ocean's 8 director Gary Ross before the film's release, where he revealed one thing that Blanchett insisted on changing with her character: her name. And she had a very good reason, too. As Ross told me,

While Gary Ross and co-writer Olivia Milch began crafting the narrative of Ocean's 8, they had certain actresses in mind. Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett were some of the first cast members approached, with Cate's character Lou even given her real name during the writing process. While this may have helped Blanchett sign on for the role, the name had to be changed before shooting began.

From watching Ocean's 8, you can certainly see how Cate Blanchett would be the actress in mind to play Lou. Wise cracking and naturally badass, the professional criminal turned bar owner is captivating during each of her scenes. And while other actresses might have been able to play the role, no one else could have so naturally inhabited Cate-- I mean Lou.

During my conversations with Gary Ross and the cast of Ocean's 8, the director explained how long he had worked on the project. The new sequel was many years in the making, with Ross knowing he wanted to build it around Sandra Bullock's Debbie Ocean. He and Olivia Milch ultimately built a script that convinced Bullock and Blanchett, with the rest of the fantastic cast filling in the ranks along the way.

It makes sense that Cate Blanchett would not want her own name reflected in her Ocean's 8 character. While Lou gets to banter with Debbie and wear awesome outfits the whole time, she's ultimately a professional criminal. Blanchett seems to be an upstanding member of society, so there needed to be some separation between actor and character. Luckily, Gary Ross was happy to oblige, and the iconic new crew was assembled.

You can catch Cate Blanchett's Lou and the rest of the iconic cast of Ocean's 8 in theaters now. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

In the wake of the #OscarsSoWhite controversy and #MeToo movement, special attention is being paid to the way the entertainment world functions. The calls for proper diversity and onscreen representation has been at the forefront, with positive steps being made forward with blockbusters like Black Panther. Gary Ross' Oceans 8 has also been associated with this change, as it features a diverse cast of women as the starring cast. The casting is what has dominated much of the buzz around Ocean's 8, especially in the current political climate. I recently spoke to Gary Ross himself, and asked how he managed to balance the importance of an all-female Oceans' movie, while also making sure it felt true to the franchise. As he told me,

It looks like everyone involved in Ocean's 8 was aware of what a significant moment in film history this was. And while Gary Ross definitely tried to feature each character and what makes them unique, in the end it's still an Ocean's movie. Therefore, things had to be kept light and quick paced, despite the urge to pause the action and spotlight a cultural shift.

The conversation around having more complex female characters is about just that: wanting to be represented onscreen in a more honest way. Ocean's 8 features a motley crew of characters who each bring something unique to the table. While Sandra Bullock and Cate Blanchett's characters help plan the heist, they need Rihanna's tech, Sarah Paulson's organization, and Awkwafina's pick pocketing skills in order to make it all work. If Gary Ross manages to craft a true Ocean's movie that celebrates its cast of women, then he'll have done his job. Of course, we'll just have to wait and see what the public thinks about Ocean's 8.

While the all-female Ghostbusters received a ton of hate, Ocean's 8 hasn't been met with the same backlash. This may be because the franchise has already rebooted itself once before, or simply because the cast is so stacked. It'll ultimately be up to theatergoers to decide if the film makes money and has any hope of getting a sequel.

Ocean's 8 hits theaters June 8th. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies, and our Ocean's 8 review to know what to expect.

Hollywood blockbusters are a tricky thing. With giant budgets and A-list actors attached, the pressure is on for directors to deliver a satisfying final product, specifically one that can turn a profit for the studio. And when a beloved franchise name is also included, things can get especially intense. Case in point: Gary Ross' Ocean's 8. The upcoming heist film has a stacked cast of A-listers, and the pressure of to delivering for the beloved Ocean's property. I recently spoke to Ross about directing the film's big ensemble scenes, and he revealed why he got nervous before shooting Ocean's 8.

You've got to hand it to Gary Ross, he seems to really value his actors' time on set. Given the intricate camerawork of the Ocean's franchise, Ross was sure to plan out each shot in order to optimize shooting time with the actors. But when you're balancing eight or so characters at once, there's a lot of coverage and angles to shoot.

The Ocean's 11 franchise is known for its long tracking shots, and signature editing style. All angles of the heist are explored at once, as well as the perspective of each member of the cast. If a director is unprepared, it's easy for these complicated sequences to be real time suckers. Luckily Gary Ross has plenty of experience with blockbusters like The Hunger Games, and he was ready to dive into Ocean's 8 as a director and writer.

In my same conversation with Gary Ross, he also explained how thrilling it was to actually shoot those scenes despite the early trepidation. Having the full cast together was energizing on set, as he tells it:

While Ocean's 8 was a complicated and expensive movie full of A-list extras, it seems like the set was still a fun place to be. So much so that Gary Ross knew when to let the likes of Sandra Bullock, Sarah Paulson, and Mindy Kaling ride the momentum of the scenes.

Ocean's 8 will arrive in theaters on June 8, 2018. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies, and our review of Ocean's 8.

One of the hot button issues dominating the entertainment landscape is the call for proper inclusion. In the wake of the #OscarsSoWhite controversy and the pay discrepancies between male and female actors, there has been an increased call for actors and crew who aren't exclusively white men. And while the all-female Ghostbusters was met with massive backlash almost immediately, Gary Ross' Ocean's 8 has had significantly more positive buzz, partly due to the fantastic cast of actresses assembled. The casting paid off, because the crew of actresses make the film a fun and well-paced ride.

Directed by Gary Ross (The Hunger Games, Pleasantville), Ocean's 8 is only mildly connected to the recent trilogy of films fronted by George Clooney. The film opens with Sandra Bullock's Debbie Ocean, who is the estranged sister of Danny. After spending five years behind bars, Debbie is released and reveals she spent her time in captivity plotting the perfect heist. Now all she needs is the right crew-- cue the montage!

Aside from the signature cinematography and the backdrop of a heist, Ocean's 8 truly functions as its own story independent of the larger franchise. This is one of the film's strongest aspects, as it doesn't feel like a sequel, but the beginning of its own franchise. The climactic event is at the annual Met Gala in New York, and the film was shot across all five boroughs-- far from the casinos of Vegas. There were no great effort to bring back major characters, and any connective tissue between the film and its predecessors will surprise and delight the hardcore Ocean's fans in the house, rather than weigh this chapter down.

The new team of thieves features a fantastic cast, with almost all of them given the proper chance to shine and chew the scenery. The biggest scene stealer in the movie is undoubtedly Anne Hathaway's Daphne Kluger-- the target of the heist. Hathaway plays the dramatic and privileged actress with perfect abhorrence, and shines in every one of her scenes. There are also strong performances given by Sarah Paulson, Helena Bonham Carter, Awkwafina, and Mindy Kaling. It's through these quirky characters that the heist, and the overall film, get moving. With this crew, Ocean's 8 will keep you laughing for hours and cheering for its cast of icons.

Unfortunately, not all of the cast is quite as strong. Out of the delightfully motley crew, Rihanna ultimately ends up the wallflower. Ri Ri looks stunning and cool as hell as the hacker Nine Ball, but either doesn't have the right material to work with or simply isn't a comedian. Either way, her presence ends up mostly tertiary, despite the undeniable star power of the singer. And while Cate Blanchett's Lou is sexy and able to banter with Debbie, it's unclear why she's even invested in the heist. Furthermore, she makes an ultimatum with Debbie that is never mentioned again, despite the protagonist totally going against her word.

As far as the Ocean's franchise easter eggs go, director/writer Gary Ross and his co-writer Olivia Milch ultimately went with a "less is more" method. There are a handful of passing references to Danny Ocean, which helps remind you what property you're watching. There are also a few quick cameos which I won't spoil here. Of course, there are a bevy of other cameos involved. Given the set of the Met Ball, Ocean's 8 managed to accrue some A-list talent to serve as extras. There are also plenty of fashion icons involved, as well. So those fashionistas who are more into the Kardashians than the Ocean's 11 franchise will have plenty to ogle at and enjoy.

It should be interesting to see how Ocean's 8 does at the box office, as it seems an obvious choice for a potential sequel opportunity. While the all-female Ghostbusters movie was DOA, the strong performances, pacing, and Gary Ross' balance of his all-star cast gives Ocean's 8 the potential to be a franchise starter of its own.

In 2001, director Steven Soderbergh helped re-introduce audiences to Danny Ocean and his lovable gang of criminals as they went through with a plan to rob multiple Las Vegas casinos in one night with his remake of the 1960 Rat Pack classic of the same name. The film went on to make more than $450 million worldwide and spur two sequels, resulting in the wildly popular Ocean's Trilogy. Well, anyone who's been missing the heist-based shenanigans of George Clooney, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt and their team of thieves in that series should be glad to know that a spinoff is coming to theaters next year

Titled Ocean's 8, this new film will focus on a heist team of eight women, who will be played by some of the most popular actresses working in film and television today. Now, we've assembled a handy guide to make sure you can stay up to date on all the important info about Ocean's 8. Let's start with what we've seen from the movie by way of the most recent trailer. Take a look:

Well, this certainly looks like the cool, funny, stylish Ocean's movie that we've come to expect. Now, read on to see what this new film has in store for us!

What Is The Ocean's 8 Release Date?

In October 2016, Warner Bros. announced that the highly anticipated spinoff Ocean's 8 had been given a summer 2018 release date; specifically June 8, 2018. Should that release date continue to hold (and there's no reason for it not to, considering that the film had finished principal photography and was officially in post-production by August of 2017), it will put the movie in direct competition with some other potential blockbusters that summer. June 15 will finally give audiences the long-awaited sequel The Incredibles 2, and June 22 will put Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom in theaters. Clearly, the studio is hoping that Ocean's 8 will fill a very specific live-action/comedy void that will be left by these big films.

What Is The Ocean's 8 Rating?

Movies don't receive official ratings from the MPAA until a final cut of the film is available to screen. This means that we probably have to wait until sometime in May 2018 to find out what Ocean's 8 will be rated and why the film gets that rating, but, based on the other films in the series, we can make an educated guess as to what the outcome will be. Each film in the Ocean's Trilogy netted itself a PG-13 rating for some combination of language, sexual situations and sensuality, and it's likely that Ocean's 8 will have a similar tone to those films and shoot for the same rating.

What Is The Ocean's 8 Story?

Unlike its predecessors, Ocean's 8 is not planning to focus on Las Vegas casino capers or a stylish European jaunt. This time around, the story will follow our new crew of thieving anti-heroes in New York City as they construct a (I'm sure elaborate) scheme to pull off a major heist during the famed annual event, the Met Gala. The event is a yearly fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute and marks the opening of each year's exhibit. Every year sees hundreds of celebrities and power players from several industries gather in their flashiest designer clothes and jewels to donate to the cause.

Until the trailer was released, we had no idea what the focus of the heist was going to be. Now, though, we know that Debbie Ocean and her crew will set their sights on the necklace that's going to be worn to the gala by Daphne Kluger (Anne Hathaway), which is worth $150 million. One of the big questions that's come up since the trailer came out is who, exactly, the eighth member of the crew will be. It was thought before that Hathaway's character was also a member, but since she's the one being robbed, Daphne will either be a very canny inside woman, or she's really just the mark and the final person on Debbie's team is being kept a big secret.

The Director

While the original Ocean's Trilogy films were all helmed by Steven Soderbergh, he won't be behind the camera this time. That job will instead go to writer/director/producer Gary Ross, who first came to prominence by writing and co-producing 1988's Big, and went on to direct big name films like Pleasantville, Seabiscuit and The Hunger Games, with his most recent directorial effort being Free State of Jones with Matthew McConaughey, which was released in 2016.

The Writers

Gary Ross also stepped up to the keyboard to help pen Ocean's 8, along with Olivia Milch, who wrote and directed the 2017 coming of age comedy Dude, starring Lucy Hale. Along with Big, Ross wrote Dave, The Tale of Despereaux, the 1994 Lassie remake and his films, The Hunger Games, Pleasantville, Free State of Jones and Seabiscuit.

Sandra Bullock

We might see a slightly harder edge from likable star Sandra Bullock than we're used to in Ocean's 8, as she'll be portraying Debbie Ocean, sister to George Clooney's Danny Ocean, and the heist-master who will decide to rob the Met Gala and assemble an all female crew to do it. Since we've never been introduced to any of these characters before, expect a large portion of the film to follow Bullock's character as she picks out her teammates and explains why she needs them, along with (possibly) letting us in on some Ocean family backstory.

When we're first introduced to Bullock's character, she's getting out on parole after spending about five years behind bars, though we don't know what got her locked up just yet. Additional information from the trailer tells us that Debbie plans this heist as a way to seek revenge on currently unknown parties. And, according to a brief scene in that same trailer, her estranged brother Danny has either died recently or is (more than likely) faking his own death.

Bullock's last big screen project was the 2015 flop Our Brand Is Crisis, so I'm sure she's hoping that a fun, star-powered ensemble like Ocean's 8 will be just the right thing to put her back on top at the box office.

Cate Blanchett

Two-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett will be taking on the role of Lou in Ocean's 8, and, well, that's all we really know about her character at this point. It seems that Blanchett will fill the Brad Pitt role from the original Ocean's Trilogy of best friend and true partner-in-crime to Sandra Bullock's criminal mastermind Debbie, but there's no way to know for sure right now. And, seeing as how we don't even have a last name for Blanchett's character, it's possible that it might be some time until we find out what Lou's main part in the heist will ultimately be.

Blanchett has a number of films in the works right now, including voice parts in How to Train Your Dragon 3 and Jungle Book, as well as Where'd You Go, Bernadette and the fantasy The House with a Clock in its Walls. She was last seen as the villain Hela in Thor: Ragnarok, which hit theaters on November 3, 2017, and was hugely successful with critics and audiences alike.

Mindy Kaling

Actress and writer Mindy Kaling, who's best known for her work on The Office and The Mindy Project (which wrapped its six-season run in November 2017), is taking on the role of Amita in Ocean's 8. And, as it turns out, we've finally been given some insight into the special skill Amita possesses that leads Debbie to call on her. Apparently, Amita will be required to forge seven pieces of extravagant jewelry, something she says she can do in as little as five hours (providing the reward for this job will let her move out of her mom's place). Kaling will next be seen on the big screen in A Wrinkle in Time, which comes out March 9, 2018.

Anne Hathaway

Well, look at that. With Anne Hathaway's Ocean's 8 character we've finally hit on another one who actually has a full name, as she'll be playing Daphne Kluger in the film. Of course, being blessed with a surname doesn't really tell us anything about Daphne, and right now it looks like she'll simply be the woman with the super expensive necklace that Debbie wants to walk away with after hitting the Met Gala. It's possible that the revenge Debbie is looking for by pulling this job is because of something Daphne did to her, but that's just speculation.

Hathaway's last movie, the giant monster comedy Colossal was released early this year, and the actress has a full slate of projects coming up in the next couple of years. The Lifeboat, Serenity, O2, Nasty Women, Live Fast Die Hot and (possibly) the live action Barbie movie are all in various states of production with Hathaway attached to star in some capacity.

Sarah Paulson

Until the trailer was released, Sarah Paulson's Ocean's 8 character, Tammy, was basically a complete mystery with the exception of her name and the fact that she's a member of Debbie's gala thieving crew. Now we know that Tammy claims to have been out of the grifting game for a while when Debbie asks her to return for the Met job. This is contrary to the evidence found in her garage, though, which is packed with a suspicious number of (still boxed) household electronics. The actress has been racking up film credits since her 1994 appearance on Law & Order, but recently really made a name for herself via her work on several seasons of American Horror Story and her Emmy-winning role as Marcia Clark in 2016's American Crime Story.

Helena Bonham Carter

A film staple since the early '90s, actress Helena Bonham Carter will fill the role of Rose in the upcoming heist movie. It seems that Rose is a fledgling fashion designer, who, I'm guessing, will be needed to create gorgeous gowns for the women to wear during the gala. Bonham Carter has become known for some wild characters in recent years, with performances as Cinderella's Fairy Godmother and The Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland under her belt, so it's possible that she'll bring another crazy characterization to Ocean's 8. Bonham Carter has almost 100 credits to her name, including A Room with a View, Howards End, Fight Club, Big Fish, several Harry Potter films, The King's Speech (which saw her nominated for her second Oscar), Les Misérables and Burton and Taylor.

Rihanna

She may mainly be known as a singer, but Rihanna has been making strides in the past few years to become known as an actor as well, and I'm sure she's hoping her work as the tech-inclined Nine Ball in Ocean's 8 will help her continue to branch out. The eight-time Grammy winner has appeared in a handful of projects, including Battleship, This Is the End, the remake of Annie, Bates Motel and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.

Awkwafina

If you're not familiar with the name Awkwafina, you're probably not alone. Born Nora Lum, she took on the stage name when she began rapping as a teenager and is now mostly known for her work in alternative hip hop and comedy, but she has been taking acting roles for a few years now. The Queens, NY native is playing pick-pocketing crew member Constance in Ocean's 8, adding that performance to her list of 10 credits, which include Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising and the upcoming film Crazy Rich Asians.

Returning Ocean's Trilogy Actors

Even though there are, obviously, many characters from the Ocean's Trilogy that could show up in the new film, we've only gotten confirmation that two recognizable faces from the franchise will show up in the next installment: Matt Damon and Carl Reiner. Matt Damon was the first returning actor to be announced, but right now we still don't know if he'll be reprising his role of expert pickpocket Linus Caldwell or playing someone else in the movie. Of course, since this is the same continuity of the previous films, it makes sense that Damon will, once again, bring Linus to life. This would seem to be even more likely, as Carl Reiner will, indeed, be reprising his role as old pro Saul Bloom in Ocean's 8. And, a recent interview given by Matt Damon seems to indicate that "a few" other members of the original Ocean's Trilogy will show up for the spinoff.

The Villain

Seeing as how most of Ocean's 8 is still a mystery, it should come as no surprise right now that we still don't know who the main antagonist will be when the film hits theaters. In December of 2016, it was reported that former Homeland and current Billions star Damian Lewis would be filling that role, as an ex-lover of Sandra Bullock's character. But, within a few months that report was refuted, and Lewis currently appears nowhere on the cast list. Someone who has popped up as a member of the cast, though, is Richard Armitage.

According to IMDB, Armitage is playing Claude Becker in the film, and while we don't know for sure that he will serve as an antagonist to Debbie Ocean's thieving crew, it does seem like a good bet. Armitage is known for playing a wide variety of tough guys in movies and on TV over the years, and his credits include MI-5, Captain America: The First Avenger, Strike Back, The Hobbit Trilogy, Hannibal, Alice Through the Looking Glass and Berlin Station. Whether Armitage is playing a bad guy in Ocean's 8 or not, he will certainly be fun to watch on screen.

The Other Characters

Seeing as how Ocean's 8 is a movie that will take place during a major, real-life event that is traditionally frequented by celebrities, there are a few who've signed on to the film and will either be playing themselves or characters created for the movie. The biggest news in this department is that, apparently, the entire Kardashian-Jenner clan will be showing up for cameos in the film. Along with that news comes the report that they will, somehow, be directly involved in the heist and that their appearances will hit pretty close to home, as jewel theft will be involved.

Other stars who've joined the project include late night talk show host James Corden, who will, reportedly, be playing a suspicious insurance investigator and have a pretty significant role. Dakota Fanning has been signed on to the movie for quite some time, but we have no idea who she's playing or how her character will fit into the plot. Katie Holmes filmed a cameo for Ocean's 8, but we, again, don't know if she's playing herself or not. Also, Olivia Munn recently spoke out about her cameo in the film, for which she got all dolled up for the movie's version of the Met Gala, only to be told that the money she spent on getting fancy wouldn't be reimbursed as she thought it would.

According to the cast list on IMDB, we can also expect appearances from model Adriana Lima, singer Zayn Malik, Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour and fashion designer Zac Posen.

Surprisingly enough, it was nearly a full decade ago that Steven Soderbergh's Ocean's trilogy came to an end with Ocean's Thirteen. Next year, however, will see an immensely talented ensemble of actresses pick up the torch of the franchise. And while the release date for Ocean's 8 is still pretty far away, we now have our first look at the main cast:

Warner Bros. has officially released this debut image from the upcoming Ocean's 8, which is being directed by Gary Ross of The Hunger Games and Seabiscuit fame. As you can see, this shot brings together all of the principal players, including Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Awkwafina, Rihanna, Mindy Kailing, and Sarah Paulson - which is a pretty amazing group of people to have in the blockbuster.

The important element to take away is the location. The three Ocean's movies that were centered around the all-star cast of George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and their eclectic ensemble usually took place in Las Vegas -- outside of the European jaunt that was Ocean's 12 (and I think I might be the only person alive who loves that movie). The first shot of Bullock, Blanchett and their team is distinctly set on a Manhattan subway car, tipping the hand that this will be a New York City-based con game, which already has us intrigued.

Ocean's Eight will be linked back to the previous three movies, not only with Sandra Bullock being the sister of Danny Ocean (George Clooney's character), but also with Matt Damon reprising his role as Linus Caldwell. The film will be set primarily in New York City as the group attempts a heist during the Met Gala. We don't yet know the primary antagonist in the feature (though the studio tells us it's NOT Damian Lewis, who is not in this movie), though we do know that the movie will also feature Olivia Munn, Richard Armitage, Katie Holmes, and James Corden.

According to a press release issued by Warner Bros. on behalf of the new film, it suggests that Ocean's 8 will be structured very much like that first Ocean's movie with Clooney. The wording on the release says this:

So with Bullock in the Clooney role, expect her to spend a chunk of the movie getting her team together, and hopefully explaining to the audience early on WHY she needs to pull off this massive heist.

The next step on Ocean's 8 would be, we'd assume, a trailer. But seeing as how the con comedy doesn't arrive in theaters until June 2018, I'm guessing Warner Bros. still has plans to wait before they pull back any more curtain on this film. Heck, there are 2017 movies coming that still haven't shown trailers (nor should they). Ocean's 8 has time... but it also has a first-look photo. What are your thoughts on this upcoming project?

We can all agree that remaking Ocean's 11 again doesn't really sounds like a good idea. That having been said, it's a good time for director Gary Ross to define what exactly we should expect from the rapidly developing project that started its life sounding like a remake. Good news: it's starting to sound like it's not a complete remake, but a sort of continuation of the original series, with a look and sound clearly defined by the previous entries.

During a conversation with /Film, the Seabiscuit and The Hunger Games director described the approach for Ocean's Eight with the following caveats:

So according to the remarks above, Ocean's Eight is being heavily modeled after the original trilogy of reboots Steven Soderbergh had made between 2001 and 2007. Whether that extension vibe applies only to the tone of the project, or if it encompasses the actual thematic content, is yet to be seen. But at the very least, the same breezy cool mix of comedy and heist work should still apply to the new, female-centric approach to the star-studded crime caper.

It should also be noted that none of the supposed cast members for Ocean's Eight have been confirmed by Gary Ross at this moment. So while we're expecting Sandra Bullock to lead Cate Blanchett, Mindy Kaling, Elizabeth Banks, and Helena Bonham Carter all into acts of thievery and theatrics, that line-up isn't written in stone just yet. Hopefully, the final cast list won't be too far off from the actors that we've been promised, as the mix of snark and slick seems like a good approach for the cast that's been rumored to be in play.

With the right approach, and the right collaborators in the mix, Gary Ross's Ocean's Eight could be better than anyone had anticipated. And with Steven Soderbergh serving as an inspiration / good friend to Ross's work on the film, even if this does turn out to be a remake of Ocean's Eleven, at the very least it sounds like it will be one that's not too far off from what we'd expect. We'll find out soon enough which direction this film is moving in, as well as the cast that will be driving those efforts home, as the project continues to move forward.

There have been rumblings of an all female Ocean’s Eleven reboot for a while now, but it seems that the project is taking off with Gary Ross signing on to direct. It also seems like the Hunger Games director isn’t coming alone. Because it now appears that his Hunger Games lead Jennifer Lawrence is coming along for the ride, as the actress is on the short list to play a lead role in the film.

According to the Tracking Board, X-Men: Apocalypse star Jenifer Lawrence is on the producers' short list to be a lead in the all female Ocean’s Eleven movie. Gary Ross will be co-writing the screenplay along with directing the film. Sandra Bullock is already attached to play the lead role in the film, and rumor has it that Lawrence would be her right-hand woman. Seeing as how Lawrence likes to reteam with directors, just look at her frequent collaborations with David O. Russell, then it’s likely we will hear an official casting announcement soon.

The most interesting thing to note, as the Tracking Board points out, is that this new movie is reportedly not a reboot, but a continuation of the events from the previous George Clooney led trilogy (which is itself a remake). It’s a spinoff rather than a reboot, like the all-female Ghostbusters movie. Sandra Bullock is reportedly playing Danny Ocean’s sister (crime runs in the family, I suppose) and will be forming her own team of criminals to steal a priceless necklace from the Met Ball and frame a crooked gallery owner. So, Bullock will be the new George Clooney while Jennifer Lawrence will be the Brad Pitt character. Add nine more ladies and then you’ve got a movie. Fingers crossed that Bullock’s Eleven meet Clooney’s Eleven for a massive Ocean’s Twenty Two crossover.

The producers are probably hoping to stuff this movie with enough A-list star power to rival the Clooney films, though I think one could make a solid argument that star power doesn’t have anywhere near the same draw to theaters as it used to. It’s also the latest film working with the all-female angle, following the example of Ghostbusters and the potential all-female Expendables movie.

This could potentially be a very cool movie, though it really depends on how the cast turns out. Are you excited for this movie and Jennifer Lawrence’s involvement, or will this inspire a Ghostbusters level of hate? Sound off in the comments below.

It’s starting to look like Ghostbusters won’t be the only property that gets the gender-swap treatment. A new report making the rounds indicates that Sandra Bullock may front an all-female Ocean’s Eleven spinoff. She did take over George Clooney’s role in Our Brand is Crisis, now she’s stepping in and taking over one of his entire franchises.

Sources close to the project told The Playlist that a new Ocean’s movie is in fact in the works. Though there aren’t many specific details to be had at the present time, Bullock will reportedly lead what is sure to be an ensemble cast, The Hunger Games director Gary Ross will helm the picture, and Olivia Milch (Little Women) will handle the writing duties and has even already turned in a draft of the script. And don’t worry that Clooney might be cut out of the loop, he’ll serve as a producer.

This idea was reportedly mentioned in some of the leaked Sony emails last year, and the idea of another female-driven ensemble reboot may have even got then-studio-head Amy Pascal to light a fire under Ghostbusters. According to the sources, however, the project really got moving when Clooney, original Ocean’s mastermind Steven Soderbergh, and legendary producer Jerry Weintraub, who produced the 2001 film—itself a remake—got together last year.

One thing that’s not clear at the moment is how exactly this fits into the larger Ocean’s universe. Whether this is a remake, sequel, reboot, spinoff, of some other type of reimagining remains to be seen, though there is reportedly a chance that George Clooney could dust of his heisting pants and cameo as the smooth-talking Danny Ocean.

This does, of course, fit in with the present trend in Hollywood. We’ve got a team of female Ghostbusters on the way in Paul Feig’s reboot next year; Ronda Rousey is playing the character originally inhabited by Patrick Swayze in a Road House remake; Tilda Swinton’s character in Doctor Strange, the Ancient One, is traditionally portrayed as a man; and Gwendoline Christie’s Captain Phasma in Star Wars: The Force Awakens was originally written for a man. And then there’s Bullock taking over a role originally earmarked for Clooney.

Though there were rumblings that this could happen, many assumed the project hit a speed bump last summer with the passing of Jerry Weintraub. All of the primary players were at his memorial, and apparently this is still in the works. Weintraub, Clooney, and Soderbergh got together around the Ocean’s trilogy, Ross has been friend of Soderbergh for some time, and Clooney and Bullock have been close since they took that trip to space together in Gravity.

There is no word on when this new, female-led Ocean’s Eleven reboot will get going, but it is expected to be Gary Ross’ next movie. His The Free State of Jones, starring Matthew McConaughey, was recently given a May 13, 2016 release date, so it’s possible we could see more movement on this soon.

Much like the opinions embedded in the fandom of entertainment, the industry itself is an exercise in contradiction - often enjoyably so. For instance, it was just earlier today when there was talk of Jennifer Lawrence possibly taking a brief hiatus from acting, and it only took a couple of hours for news to break that another one of her future projects is moving forward. She’s set to star in an updated remake of John Steinbeck’s classic East of Eden, reteaming her with Hunger Games director Gary Ross, who has officially also taken on scriptwriting duties for the film. Or films.

THR doesn’t make it clear whether or not Ross is still planning his adaptation as two full features, as was originally reported. but this is one of the only instances where splitting a single novel into two films is entirely sensible. Ross first came on board in September when Universal and Imagine got the rights from the Steinbeck estate, and it’s no surprise that he eventually chose to write it, given he’d done the same for all three of his previous directorial efforts. It’s still a daunting task, whichever way he goes about it.

Widely considered Steinbeck’s greatest achievement, East of Eden is as much about pre-WWI Salinas Valley in California as it is about the families living therein. A loose retelling of Cain and Abel’s biblical story, it begins with the bullied and troubled life of Adam Trask, who later unwittingly married and had children with a ruthless whore named Cathy, who soon leaves them all behind. Those twins, Caleb and Aron, grow up oblivious of their mother’s identity, until it one day becomes a major part of their lives.

The previous adaptation was the 1955 version from Elia Kazan, starring James Dean in his first major role, but that film only took on the second portion of the book involving Caleb and Aron. Can Ross, whose previous films also include Seabiscuit and Pleasantville, do something that even the great Elia Kazan couldn’t do? Not that I’m sensationalizing it or anything.

It’s a heavy narrative, full of rich themes and characters, and it’ll probably take Ross a while to perfect his approach. Even then we’re not sure if Lawrence will be involved with the next X-Men film, or her eighth film with David O. Russell or something - and that’s assuming she even sticks with this and doesn’t opt out at some point. Either way, this is more interesting than the usual adaptation or remake, so let’s hope Ross knows the perfect way to bring it to the screen.

And because it’d be a crime to just mention James Dean in this movie without seeing him, here’s one particularly memorable scene from the original adaptation.

When Lionsgate settled their differences with Fox and set up a schedule that will allow Jennifer Lawrence to shoot Hunger Games sequel Catching Fire and the X-Men: First Class sequel back to back, it looked like full speed ahead for Lionsgate to start production on the next installment of their new, enormous franchise. But before Katniss can strap on her bow and arrow for round two, they're going to have to find somebody else to stand behind the camera and make it happen. Gary Ross, who had been in negotiations for a higher salary on the Hunger Games sequel, has officially decided not to return.

As reported by The Playlist, it isn't just the meager salary that turned Ross off. The Pleasantville and Seabiscuit director apparently wasn't all that interested in repeating himself, especially since neither of the subsequent two Hunger Games books are as good as the first, and he's got another script written that he not only likes better, but will net him more cash than the Catching Fire would have.

This director swap puts The Hunger Games firmly in the tradition of the Harry Potter and Twilight franchises, which switched up directors for nearly every film, and will create some fascinating speculation about who ought to take Ross's place. Which directors do you think would be well suited to the increasing darkness and violence of Catching Fire? Should Steven Soderbergh just step up from his second-unit work on The Hunger Games and take over the whole thing? Start the speculation in the comments below!

During the promotional period for The Hunger Games everyone involved made sure to note how different the franchise was from Twilight. While it may have seemed like a silly thing to do given Twilight's success, but the truth is that comparisons were making male audiences a bit shaky about the film, as that demographic didn't want to spend two and a half hours watching a tween romance (and Hunger Games is definitely not that). The film obviously wasn't hurt by this strategy, as it went on to shatter records and become the third highest grossing opening weekend title of all time. But while the story of The Hunger Games may have no comparison to Twilight, it turns out that action behind the scenes may duplicate it.

While the first movie was a huge success, THR is saying that director Gary Ross is still in negotiations to direct the sequel, Catching Fire. The stars of the film - the ones that survived, anyway - are already contractually obligated to appear in the second movie, but things haven't been going to great on the filmmaker side. The trade says that Ross' negotiations with LionsGate the first time around weren't so hot either, an inside source calling it "a terrible experience," as the studio doesn't usually pay "seasoned-filmmaker fees" to even seasoned filmmakers like Ross. Because of The Hunger Games' big box office numbers, Ross is expecting a raise for his work on the movie (he was given $3 million upfront and 5% on the backend with his first deal) but it's unclear if the studio will give it to him.

Much like the Twilight franchise, or even Harry Potter, it's entirely possible that LionsGate will choose not to pay Ross and instead go with another filmmaker who is demanding less money. A script has already been written for Catching Fire, from Simon Beaufoy, but Ross has not yet had the chance to revise it. The one big card that Ross has in his back pocket is that The Hunger Games was better received than any of the Twilight films, which could convince the brass to try and keep some consistency. Whether it will play in his favor is still an unknown at this point.

So what do you think? Should Ross be brought back for the next movie or should they go with someone else's vision? Leave your thoughts, ideas and desires in the comments section below.

The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins is very much a story told from the perspective of one woman focused on the prize, but who is also filled with a lot of pent up anger and trust issues. Getting out of her head was the only way to tell the Hunger Games’ story on the big screen, but getting out of her head meant a lot of useful information could potentially have been lost in translation.

Luckily, director Gary Ross manages to seamlessly mix Collins’ storyline with flashbacks from Katniss, a reality TV side plot, and moments from The Capitol. For those of us who have read the first book in the series, all of the knowledge we had before the film was Katniss’ knowledge. However, the panoramic viewpoint of Ross’ film compiles all of the information learned from Katniss in the books and refurbishes that information for a treat of a movie, pretty to look at and offering something new around every corner, while still adhering to the basic algorithm that caused so many of us to love Collins’ characters in the first place. It’s a winning formula, but it is one that does not come without a few consequences.

Most of the differences between The Hunger Games book and movie work out in the film’s favor, but some moments might cause us to wish a few different decisions had been made. Following are the ten biggest changes I noticed in my screening of The Hunger Games. Feel free to remark on any changes you feel may have been more noticeable.

There are many spoilers in The Hunger Games book to movie comparison. Do not delve in if you have not seen the film.

We begin the film with an overview of the games and an interview highlighting Seneca Crane’s work on the 74th annual Hunger Games. This not only helps us to perceive for the first time a world moving outside of Katniss’ own thoughts, but also helps introduce us to The Capitol and its key players early on.

District 12 has the right look and feel. However, we do not get to spend as much time with the people living there. The Hob is barely shown, Peeta’s father and Gale’s family, Madge, and many others are absent. Though District 12 may entrap Katniss in some ways, it is also a place to protect. Without these integral relationships, it is more difficult to see Katniss’ ties.

Katniss is not given the mockingjay pin by Madge as a token of her tribute. Instead, she purchases it at the Hob and tries to give it away to Prim before she leaves. Prim, however, presses it back on her sister, stating the icon will protect her. It’s a touching moment, and one that helps define the relationship between the two sisters in a more poignant and substantial way.

When Peeta loses time to shine onscreen, it becomes harder to root for his survival. Sure, Peeta was always willing to sod off and die for Katniss and sure, he is artsy and endearingly emotional, but that does not mean he lacks in the strategy department. The book does a better job at balancing Peeta’s softer side with his intellectual and strategic prowess.

Once in the arena, Katniss’ hardships are condensed. Her time spent wandering in the woods, acclimating, and battling dehydration are completely cut out. While many of the moments in the arena play out to a tee, losing Katniss’ early fight for her life makes it more difficult to understand the breadth and scope of the games.

Shots from the arena are intermixed with commentary from Claudius Templesmith and Caesar Flickerman. Prior to seeing the film, I wondered how audiences would be privy to understanding tracker jackers and other information we get from Katniss’ head. A reality TV show full of color and flair juxtaposes nicely against the dark, somber backdrop of the arena. It is also a reminder of the lengths people are willing to go to watch people falter. The Hunger Games are nothing like our reality television, but maybe the games are not as off as we might think.

Seneca and Snow have their own moments onscreen. This gives us more time to dwell on Seneca’s awesome facial hair, but more importantly to get a taste of what President Snow is genuinely capable of early on. There’s one thing for certain: with Snow at the helm, there is no way life in the districts will ever be a bed of roses.

Instead of District 11 giving bread in thanks for Rue, they give her a rebellion. While we will learn later rebellions begin in the districts due to Katniss’ performance in the games, this early shot capably sets the cast up for the chain of events leading to the later books in the trilogy.

Gale is barely onscreen in this first film. Sure, it could be argued his role, especially in the first book, is less central to the plot, but without as much early setup it is difficult to discern just how intertwined Gale and Katniss’ lives are. When he does show up later on, we are able to really see his pain over Peeta and Katniss’ slow kisses. A little more Gale and we would have a true love triangle.

District 2 career tribute Cato actually gets a shot at humanity before he falls at the Cornucopia. This is a tough moment for the audience. When Cato realizes all he has lived for is worthless, it is more difficult to root for Katniss contributing to his ultimate demise. It may be a pity arrow that ultimately kills Cato, but Katniss has to shoot a well-placed arrow, first.

Overall, by keeping us out of Katniss’ head and by giving us multiple outlets to really immerse audiences and help them to understand the world of Panem, I found the movie to be much more enjoyable than the book. What did you think? Sound off in the comments, below.

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For a young adult novel, The Hunger Games is actually a pretty good book. While the genre has been marred by the likes of Stephenie Meyer and the Twilight series, Suzanne Collins’ work is a truly solid piece of dystopian science fiction with interesting comments about today’s world and totalitarian governments. There is a lot to like, from the creative design of the society, the wonderful characters, and the horrors of the Hunger Games arena. But just how well do those various elements play in writer/director Gary Ross’ adaptation?

Thinking back to both their thoughts about the book as well as the film, Eric and Sean have compiled a list five elements that they thought were perfectly translated to the screen and five others that could have been handled better. Read on to see what the filmmakers got right and what they got wrong.

NOTE The very last part in the “WHAT THEY GOT WRONG” section is a bit spoilery, so steer clear if you have not read the books. The rest of the segments, however, are spoiler free.

WHAT THEY GOT RIGHT

The Look and Feel of District 12

Katniss Everdeen springs forth from humble beginnings, and it was very important for Ross to convince us that his beautiful lead could start as a tough but ugly duckling before eventually transitioning into a swan. Lawrence’s experience filming Winter’s Bone no doubt helped her understand Katniss’ broke psyche. But Ross and his production designers helped her immensely by shooting in rural Shelby, North Carolina and employing handheld camera tricks to replicate the poverty and need of the region. It’s a powerful contradiction to the second-act shots in the gaudy Capitol, and it gets The Hunger Games off on the right foot.

The Cornucopia

A crucial set piece, for so many reasons - which I’ll try not to spoil here - the Cornucopia represents a safe haven for the Tributes, a stash of supplies that can sustain lives in the Games … or be used as bait for a massive trap. There were several different ways that Ross and his team could have envisioned the Cornucopia. He chose a simple, basic, stripped-down design that fit perfectly into the bare-bones arena of the Games. It isn’t an ostentatious prop, primarily because anything larger or more forceful would have been distracting to the action that’s supposed to take place around the set piece. And to reveal much more would be spoiling things.

The Casting of Effie Trinket and Caesar Flickerman

It goes without saying that Lawrence is the perfect choice to play Katniss Everdeen, the self-sufficient archer who voluntarily enters the Games to save her younger sister, Prim. But Ross surrounds Lawrence with immense talent, nailing the casting of several key supporting roles. Though nearly unrecognizable under about 30 pounds of makeup, Elizabeth Banks perfectly embodies not only Effie Trinket, but the spirit and attitude of those who live in the Capitol. And if there could be an Oscar for Bets Scene Stealer, it would belong to Tucci, who embraces the grotesquely detached appreciation Caesar brings to the Games as the celebrity announcer and color commentator. Part friend, part foe, he’s the perfect soundboard for the passive audience, and a welcome guide for the hideous Games.

The Camerawork in the Arena

Media and propaganda are easily two of the most important aspects of The Hunger Games. In fact, the games themselves only exist so that they can be broadcast to the masses and the government can show them just how powerful they are. For that reason the camerawork inside the arena was a essential area for Gary Ross. Fortunately, he succeeded. Constantly shifting angles, moving around the characters and even going as far as to break the 180 degree rule, you get the sense watching the film that the 24 tributes are completely surrounded by cameras capturing every minute of the action.

The Relationship between Katniss and Rue

In the arena you have one clear mission: survive and kill anybody that tries to stop you from surviving. For that reason, relationships in the arena are complicated – but that’s exactly what makes the bond between Katniss and Rue so impressive. In the book we learn that our hero feels a connection to the female tribute from District 11 because she reminds her of Prim. Because you can’t just have Jennifer Lawrence blurt that out, subtly, context, and chemistry has to work and Ross nailed it with Lawrence and Amandla Stenberg.

WHAT THEY GOT WRONG

Haymitch Abernathy

On paper, it sounds perfect. Woody Harrelson’s unforced, Hawaiian hippie act is only two keystrokes away from Haymitch’s reluctant, drunken mentor stance, and the actor who once convincingly played a country rube on Cheers should have been able to pinpoint alcohol-induced indifference (with a thinly-veiled understanding of the larger stakes at the Games). But Harrelson misses it, ever so slightly, and Haymitch is marginalized by a few minor choices the actor makes. They are hard to pinpoint. But Haymitch is written as a scene-stealing savior, the character we’re almost meant to champion more than Katniss (redemption projects always work on broad audiences). I barely remember Harrelson’s Haymitch, and that’s not a good thing.

Katniss and Peeta’s “Fire” Outfits

Another missed opportunity, as something that comes across as triumphant in Collins’ novel looks merely “meh” on screen. Katniss earns the nickname “the girl on fire” because the radiant clothing Cinna (Lenny Kravitz) designs stops Capitol residents in their tracks and drops their jaws. It’s a built-in “Wow,” but Ross’ effect on the flaming suits is more, “That’s it?” It’s hard to fault a book-to-screen adaptation that taps most of its emotional beats, but when Ross whiffs on a not-so-special effect, the Hunger Games really struggles.

Katniss’ Confusion About Peeta’s Feelings

Unless they went the route of voice-over narration (and thank god they didn’t), there was no way that The Hunger Games was going to be able to capture every essence of the book. Because Suzanne Collins’ novel is written in the first person, from Katniss’ perspective, we immediately understand every action and reaction she does and has. While in most areas this worked fine, but one vital territory where it didn’t was in the relationship between Katniss and Peeta. In the book Katniss is constantly questioning Peeta’s behavior, unsure if he’s actually in love with her or just playing politics for the sponsors. It’s lost in translation on the big screen.

Scope Of The Arena

In the book, upon entering the arena Katniss remembers what Haymitch told her: stay away from the Cornucopia, just run and look for water. It’s an important piece of advice, because, as Katniss discovers, water isn’t exactly easy to find. She wanders for a long time and nearly dies of dehydration before finally stumbling upon a pool of precious agua. But in addition to being an early trial for the protagonist to face, the sequence gave readers the sense that the arena is this massive, expansive place. By cutting this long search out of the film, the space in the arena shrinks down and with it goes the scope of the story.

WARNING: DO NOT GO ANY FURTHER IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK

The Muttations

This is a bit spoilery, so steer clear if you haven’t seen the film or read the book. But Hunger Games enthusiasts know that the genetically altered wolves that attack Katniss and Peeta near the end of the Games somehow are composed of borrowed DNA from fallen Tributes. It sounds awesome on the page, and was something I was dying to see how Ross handled. Well, he doesn’t. Katniss still fends off gigantic wolves, but they are simple Twilight creatures, without a trace of her vanquished foes. Sure, the effect might have been tough to master, but that’s a missed opportunity.

There is no movie out there that is exactly the same as the book it was based on. Whether it’s because an element doesn’t work cinematically or because things have to be cut for time, there will always be differences between source material and film. But what do you do when the material you’re adapting is held precious by millions and is very much part of a phenomenon? That’s exactly what Gary Ross had to deal with while making The Hunger Games.

A few weeks back I was invited to participate in a series of roundtables with the cast and filmmakers behind the Suzanne Collins adaptation including its writer/director. Check out our interview below in which Ross not only talks about adding to and cutting the source material, what it was like working closely with the original author, and why the PG-13 rating didn’t hamper him in any way.

It’s fascinating. Everyone we’ve talked to loves the movie. You’ve clearly assembled a group of people that don’t just love the job, but love the material and are excited about it.

I had a great cast. It’s great and that’s one if the fun things about being a director is that you put a company together. You put your little rep company together. In this case we all went off to the woods together. We all lived in Nashville over the summer, we all knew each other, and we all hung out together. These are astoundingly talented actors, so it’ thrilling to be in a creative environment like that and we all had a great time. I tend to love actors. I was trained as an actor first so I’m drawn to actors. I think they have the hardest job on the movie. You have to pretend that 250 people aren’t looking at you and muster the truth in an unselfconscious way. And what most people are doing on a movie set is fairly technical and what an actor is doing on a movie set is fairly ephemeral. It cannot happen in an instant. But this group was wonderful.

This movie is already a phenomenon but when you’re developing the script knowing that you have this fan base, you can’t have a pure adaptation, so where do you draw the line at what you can include and what you don’t include?

I mean I love the book. I wouldn’t have thrown my hat in if I didn’t. So when I read it I wanted to do a faithful adaptation, as faithful an adaptation as I could because I dug the source material. It’s not like I wanted a point of departure, having said that there’s obviously a translation from one medium to another. But Suzanne [Collins] understands that and I did the final draft of the script with her. So somebody asked me about Peter Jackson and how he handled the fans and his departure from The Lord of the Rings and I said, ‘well I was lucky enough to have JRR Tolkien in the room with me.’ So I wrote a draft that I sent to Suzanne, she loved the draft, she came out and we talked. She has a lot of ideas that were great and we started working together on the last draft. So this reflects our work together. So I felt pretty confident in the departures I would make.

Are there things that you shot that would end up on an extended edition of The Hunger Games?

It’s so funny because everybody asks about the director’s cut. This is the director’s cut. It’s not like anybody is making me take stuff out. I don’t believe in the inclusion of extra scenes. I was always bummed when Francis [Ford Coppola] showed everybody the scene from the French dinner party in Apocalypse Now. It’s like, no man I want to see what you and Richard Marx did in that movie. So, I don’t even really believe in the inclusion of extra scenes. Yeah, there’s stuff that I did that I like, things we shot that didn’t make it in. There was one whole scene in the woods that was between Prim and Gale that I thought was like a tender little moment and some stuff in the training center that didn’t make it in. But I think the movie should stand up on its own.

Working with Suzanne on the script there had to have been a moment where you disagreed.

You know it wasn’t really like that. We both saw challenges. We both saw translation issues. I was interested to hear from her about what things were necessary, fresh eyes from the woman who had created the whole thing. It was a very collegial conversation. We started working together before I invited her in to do the draft. And I don’t think I would have done that if it hadn’t felt so good working together.

You have a great visual aesthetic. It almost is a musical aesthetic with very distinct musical patterns. How did you go about achieving that?

Phil [Desena] is actually someone who I met through my friend Steven Soderbergh. I loved the stuff that he’d done on Steven’s stuff. Erin Brockovich, I love the design of that movie and the Oceans movies. Phil and I talked about some other movies prior to this and the seam is the seam. We know what that’s all about. And we were lucky enough to be shooting in North Carolina where we found an abandoned mill town that had 27 of these worker houses that had been built around the 1930’s and it had an old dam with a turbine and things that just worked perfectly for the movie to evoke the scene. It was like finding a backlot so we just got very lucky that way. In terms of the Capital we were inventing something so the first thing was it had to have authority, it had to have power, it had to have might. It couldn’t feel dreamed up in a computer. I wanted it to be set in the future but have a sense of its own past. So I had to find the building materials, concrete at first. So I looked at a lot of palaces in Lassa and Tibet that had these blank concrete edifices and were very imposing. That brought Phil to a period of mid-century architecture that’s come to be known as brutalism. Which are these blank concrete edifices that are imposing. We thought about seats of power in the world and the fact that they all rely on open space. They’re never tall or soaring. That’s kind of joyous, right? New York City, right? It has a happy, huge, soaring skyline that goes up to the heavens. But any seat of power is about horizontal space, open space: Tiananmen Square, Red Square, that’s how you establish, might and authority, you get away from it. So we riffed off that and a little bit of Albert Speer. We studied Leni Riefenstahl and things like that. Because this place had to feel real, it’s the antagonist of the piece. It has to have a certain kind of power and I know that the Capital feels like a circus, it’s festive and alluring and indulgent and decadent but it also has to have the kind of might and power behind it so that informed those decisions.

I think the great thing about science fiction is that everyone has to make a decision about their future world. What was the key for you in determining the look of the Capital and its citizens?

Again that It’s this wild carnival that will feel real, that the decadence feels real. That was the touchstone with everything. And I had incredibly talented people. I mean Ve Neill, my make-up artist, has been nominated for nine Oscars and won three. I mean this lady really knows what she’s doing. So these are collaborations with talented people. But what I wanted to do was have it be bent and a little twisted. My reference for shooting Effie was Joel Grey in Cabaret. I wanted to get inside that make-up and see every pore and see every hair. I wanted it to be grotesque. When you shoot her from out there and she’s front lit she looks like a stage performer. When you shoot her from in here you’re seeing the burden of the make-up that she packs on every morning and I wanted to get behind that veil and behind the public presentation of it was to get to the grotesque. And we tried to find that balance in the Capital as well.

The book is about violence, but you do have a PG-13 rating. Did you ever feel handcuffed?

No, because I wouldn’t have shot this any differently regardless of the rating. I think that the MPAA had an issue with one or two shots. There was one tighter shot that I cut to a wider shot. It was so minor that it was almost insignificant really. It’s a nice synergy because I’m shooting in Katniss’ point of view. And because I’m in her point of view the hits of violence that you experience are so subjective to her that I’m not cutting wide to indulge a set piece of violence and then back to Katniss. I’m in Katniss’ perception of that. And so I don’t need to graphically indulge or exploit that violence. I’m seeing her perception of it and as long as I’m invested in her perception. And as long as I’m invested in her point of view a little goes a very long way in terms of her experience of what that’s like. And you guys have seen it it’s not like we backed off the violence in the Cornucopia. It’s pretty explicit but it doesn’t need to be indulgent in order to be explicit. Because I’m on her, I’m not on it. I’m on her as she perceives it and I’ll show it and we don’t back off it but at the same time the whole movie is about her perception. Including the sound, including the music, I mean everything.

Do you become very conscious of Katniss’ point of view in the editing room in terms of how long you can or cannot get away from her.

Oh, completely. I mean you’re in her point of view and even when I cut away to that game center I’m doing what Suzanne did in the character’s head. I mean Suzanne writes “Oh, I know the game makers are messing with me right now. They’re doing X,Y and Z.” Well I have the ability in the movie to be able to cut to that. Where in a first person narrative you can’t. So I’m really just doing what’s in the book anyway. So I’m able to show something that’s in the novel is just imagined. I think it was still within Katniss’ storyline to cut to Liam seeing that kiss for example. And the game makers were an integral part of Katniss’ storyline but I’m never leaving what’s going on with her for very long because I need to stay and keep you invested in what’s happening to her. If you’re in Katniss’ shoes and I cut to the game makers messing with her and I cut back to Katniss you’re still in Katniss’ shoes. You’re still in her process and her thought process and going through her experience. I’m enhancing that in the cut away; I’m not digressing from that. So that was really the criteria in how I did it.

With so many characters in this what were the biggest challenges in assembling this whole cast knowing that so many people have their own perceptions?

I mean look, I was a fan before I was the director. I love the books too. I can’t make a movie in a way other than pleasing myself and my own judgment. That’s all a director has. All we have is our take on it. I can’t really worry about or guess what 23 million different opinions are. And so I have to trust my own gut and what I think is going to work. But these were all amazing actors and in terms of calibrating what the whole cast is, that’s a process where you have to look at everybody together and see how this world fits together. Does the tone break anywhere? Do they homogenize and harmonize well? So that’s really what that process is. I didn’t feel a tremendous amount of pressure about what the fans would think because I thought I was being faithful to the book and therefore to what the fans would want and I was talking to Suzanne throughout the casting process as well.

In preparation for The Hunger Games -- which, if you haven’t heard, opens everywhere on March 23 – select members of the film's cast and crew will be making stops in key cities (call them Districts) the week of March 3-10 to meet with press and fans and help raise awareness for Gary Ross’s sci-fi thriller.

Ross will accompany Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth in Los Angeles for the start of the tour, which will make stops in Atlanta, Minneapolis, Chicago, Phoenix, Miami, Dallas and more. The Twilight films managed a similar feat, taking over shopping malls in major U.S. cities for talent meet-and-greets and fan signings. Right off the bat, I give credit to Lawrence, who looks to be making appearances at as many of the city stops as possible. Granted, she should. She’s Katniss Everdeen, and if she can survive the Hunger Games, she can brave the starving hordes of media members.

We have a full itinerary of the tour – presented by the Microsoft Store, China Glaze, and h2O Spring Water – below. Each stop will include a Q&A event where fans will have a chance to ask questions of their favorite cast members and participate in giveaways to win a limited-edition Hunger Games HP Folio PC from the Microsoft Store or additional Hunger Games gear.

To see more from The Hunger Games, including posters, stills, and trailers, head on over to our Blend Film Database.

Sure, acting is cool; you get to be the face of a movie and play great characters, but there are also a ton of restrictions when it comes to doing your own stunts. You can’t have your lead actor taking much of a risk, right? In come stunt doubles like Tara Macken.

Macken’s done stunt work on a slew of projects including Nikita, The Lincoln Lawyer, In Time and more, and now she’s adding The Hunger Games to her list. Macken is on board as one of District 4’s tributes, a tribute that quickly rises to the top, joining those born and bred for the games, The Careers.

Macken really gets the best of both worlds when it comes to The Hunger Games. She’s representing a district and is taking on the role all on her own, but also gets to unleash some of her wicked action and combat abilities. In honor of the film’s approaching March 23rd release, Macken took the time to dish on her experience making the movie as well as her rise to the top in the stunt industry.

Check it all out for yourself below.

What came first, the script or the book?

Tara Macken: I didn’t know anything about the book until I had to audition for it and then I read it after the audition.

When you read it, did you just read it to read it or were you focusing on your character?

I just read it with an open mind because I didn’t want it to be like, ‘Oh, I’m gonna get this work,’ or, ‘I want to be this character;’ I just really wanted to enjoy it. I’m a big fan of Harry Potter, I love reading, so it was really good to find another book that I could be obsessive about for the weekend.

What was it like when you got to the end and you realized what you’re a part of?

It was pretty awesome. Growing up and doing acting, you’re like, wow, I would have died. I would have been the happiest person to be on Harry Potter or Twilight. It would be my dream to be any of those characters on those movies. And so it’s actually funny to be able to read a book, really enjoy it, and then be a part of it, it was a pretty surreal feeling.

As a Harry Potter fan, how’s it been looking at this like it could be the next Harry Potter?

They’re two completely different styles of books. The stories are completely different and the whole world. I feel like it’s similar in the sense that you have a huge fan following and also, I think originally Harry Potter was meant for kids, it was meant for a younger audience and then the audience grew as the books progressed whereas, The Hunger Games, you’re also targeting a pretty youthful audience, but everyone loves it. One thing I really love about The Hunger Games is that it has a very strong female movie character, which, you know, Harry Potter obviously has Harry Potter and then you had his sidekick and then you have Hunger Games and you have Katniss. It’s really cool to be able to see a very inspirational, young female character fight for her family and fight to change a system.

How about your character? We don’t know much about the girl from District 4 from the book, so did you develop your own backstory for her?

Yeah, absolutely. I tried to make the character as similar to my situation as possible, to make it real. I’m originally from the Philippines and I grew up on the beaches, so I thought it was perfect casting when I found out that I was going to be representing District 4, which is the fishing district. And then also, in the book, my character’s supposed to be one of the bigger, stronger tributes and I think it goes hand in hand and they really thought deeply when it came to casting each of the tributes. It’s good that you have a big background in stunts and action; I thought it was extremely fitting for me to be a stronger tribute and definitely a tribute that’s living in the fishing district. I think that really played to my advantage. And, in addition, my tribute partner, in the book he’s supposed to be a really small tribute, like the youngest of all of them besides Amandla [Stenberg], so it was really good as a contrast to have me there. I’m not the biggest of people. I’m only 5’4” so to have a tribute partner who is 4’10”, I think aesthetically it helped develop my character.

Did Gary Ross give you any pointers?

He definitely helped when it came to getting the feeling for it, especially for the Cornucopia scene. He worked one-on-one with each person. Certain characters wanted to be in the arena and actually enjoyed fighting, like the career tributes. They’re trained from a young age to be in these games and so for us, it was a matter of really thinking about our character and our motives for being there and why we were chosen and whether or not we wanted to be there in the first place. Gary would talk about our characters so we would understand the emotion that these characters are gonna go through, knowing that they could die in an instant. They could die as soon as they fall off the platform and explode. It was pretty hard in the sense of the level of fear, when it came to the battle scenes just because you’re there with all your peers, these awesome actors and you’re all having fun and this is really cool, but at the same time, you know that you have to live this character, live as this person who’s actually really scared and trying to survive and trying to not die in the next five seconds.

You’ve got a very extensive stunt background, so how would you describe your character here? Is it a lot of stunt work or does she get some quieter, one-on-one moments?

I don’t know if I’m allowed to talk that much about that … I guess you have quieter parts when it comes to the training facility, but that’s pretty much it because the majority of the time for most of the tributes, all of our action resides in the cornucopia, in the big battle scene.

And how about during the opening ceremony? Do you get a dress?

Oh yeah, that was a lot of fun. When I read the book, I was envisioning the costumes and they go into great detail describing how every district looks so it’s kind of a trip to finally be in a position where everybody had really unique and pretty avant-garde costumes that apply to their district. It was definitely a very cool experience. On the chariot and to have these awesome costumes, it was just cool. We had about 700 extras that day to play the audience watching and so it was really quite a trip to see 700 people dressed up in all these pretty flamboyant costumes.

So what is it that made you want to be a stunt person?

To be honest, growing up I never knew that stunting existed as a career or as a job. My family’s all doctors and engineers, so definitely not the route they had expected of me. When I came down to LA, I was a dancer and a gymnast and an actress in school, so when I moved down to LA, I was like, ‘Oh, I’m gonna do acting and dance,’ and little by little I found stunt people and I’m like, ‘Wait. What? You can actually do this for a career? This is awesome!’ Growing up I was kind of climbing trees and falling on my head just for fun, so this is basically my extension of me playing and getting paid for it. [Laughs]

You’ve got a lot of really impressive stunt work under your belt already, so are there any aspiration to become a stunt coordinator?

I think I would eventually like to, but it’s so hard to say. I think I’d be able to do it on a smaller scale because I can’t even envision myself being responsible for the safety of the action for an entire movie. So it’s definitely not out of the realm of possibility. I think it’s something that as a stunt performer, I probably will have to encounter in the future and I’d definitely do it to the best of my ability.

Is there any one stunt you look back on as the most exciting thing you’ve ever done?

[Laughs] Absolutely! I do a lot of martial arts, a lot of wirework. I guess the coolest thing I’ve done would be repelling out of a helicopter with four other Navy SEALs for a Nike commercial. That was the most exciting because I’d never had the opportunity to jump out of a helicopter all day long with a bunch of train killers essentially.

Back to The Hunger Games, having read it and now shot it yourself, is there anything you think is going to really blow fans away?

To be honest, I got really excited watching the trailer. Not because I was just in it, but, you know, when you’re on set and you’re working 14 or 16 hour days, filmmaking can get mundane or very repetitive because you’re doing scene after scene, so you forget how exciting the project is once it’s all together. Sometimes you do think it’s just a job. You’re like, ‘Okay, I guess I could do this scene again,’ and it’s ten takes. But then when I watched the trailer, you don’t have in your head the music they had envisioned or how they were gonna edit it. You just know the book and the characters and you know the situation that you’re currently in and so I guess when I was able to see it all put together in Gary Ross’ imagination in the form of a trailer, it gave me chills. I was just like, ‘Wow, that’s some powerful stuff.’ I think everyone’s gonna be pretty blown away and excited by how Gary puts everything together and makes this book come to life.

Looking ahead for the franchise, playing a District 4 tribute, do you have any thoughts on who should play Finnick in Catching Fire?

I’ll get back to you on that one. That’s one to really ponder about! [Laughs]

What up next for you? Anything lined up?

I was one of the lead stunt doubles on G.I. Joe: Retaliation. I doubled a ninja. My character’s name is Jinx. So that’s coming out this summer, which I’m really excited about. And then I also did stunts on Battleship, which I believe is coming out this year also and then I’m guest starring on an episode of Children’s Hospital and I’m playing Henry Winkler’s daughter. It was cool just to be The Fonz’s daughter. I’m like, ‘Yah! Look at me doing stuff with Fonz. This is awesome!’

Lionsgate has complete faith in The Hunger Games, the first installment of Gary Ross’s adaptation of the bestselling literary series. So while we still have weeks to go before the initial installment reaches theaters, the studio is moving forward behind the scenes on its sequel, according to The Wrap.

Ross, it appears, will be back for Catching Fire, the second book in Suzanne Collins’ YA franchise, and is supervising the script with screenwriter Simon Beaufoy, the Oscar-winning writer of Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours. Ross helped write the script for the first Hunger Games film with Collins and Billy Ray (Shattered Glass), and I admire the studio’s commitment to excellent writers. It’s going to go a LONG way toward potentially distancing the Hunger Games films from the Twilight saga.

Interestingly enough with the Hunger Games franchise, it just appears that Lionsgate has the bulk of the “skeleton” formed, and it's merely backtracking and filling in gaps as it goes. Take Catching Fire, for instance. We already know that Hunger Games stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson and Liam Hemsworth are on board for the sequel. Heck, we even know when it’s going to open. (Nov. 22, 2013, if all goes according to plan.) Now that we have a writer and director in place, all that’s left to do is to show up at the theaters on March 23 and see if the kick-off to this potentially lucrative franchise is any good. But this news is a vote of confidence in Ross’s favor, so my hopes have gone a little higher than they were yesterday.

While I'm still trying to fully understand exactly what goes on in The Hunger Games (is it really just a PG-13 Battle Royale?) one thing I do get is the excitement expressed after the first image of Peeta and Gale arrived online yesterday. Much in the same way that I am (usually) elated to see how a superhero's costume will appear on the big screen, fans of the books are dying to get a glimpse at what the world of The Hunger Games looks like outside of their own minds-eye or on the page. Now EW has helped in that process a little bit more.

Following the launch of their magazine cover, the site has posted three new stills from the movie, which feature stars Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson. Based on the series of books by Suzanne Collins and directed by Gary Ross, the film is about a young girl named Katniss Everdeen who lives in a post-apocalyptic dystopia where children are selected by the government to fight to the death.

Check out the images below and head over to EW to see them full-size.

One is the guy who lost out on the lead role in Sony's The Amazing Spider-Man to Andrew Garfield, even after making a video showing what he could do as the webslinger. The other is not only the brother of the actor who is playing Thor in Marvel's upcoming superhero movie, but was completely edited out of Sylvester Stallone's The Expendables so that the plot wouldn't become too much of a mess. Now both of them are part of a franchise that could potentially be bigger than all of the others mentioned above.

We've received a press release announcing that Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth have officially been cast the in Gary Ross-directed The Hunger Games. Just as rumored on Friday, Hutcherson will be playing Peeta Mellark, the lead male role who saved Katniss Everdeen (played by Jennifer Lawrence) when she was starving, while Hemsworth will be playing Gale Hawthorne, Katniss' long time friend. The film is set to be released on March 23, 2012 and will go in to production later this year.

So what do we think, Hunger Games fans? Hutcherson will probably have to dye his hair blonde, but does he have the abilities to play the character? How about Hemsworth - does he have what it takes to play a convincing Gale? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

Liam RHemsworth

I have mixed feelings about the recent news that Jennifer Lawrence is the frontrunner to play Katniss in The Hunger Games movie adaptation, but it's not too late for the producers to bring on an actor I actually think would be perfect. The Kids Are All Right and Journey to the Center of the Earth star Josh Hutcherson has revealed to Entertainment Weekly that he's read for the part of Peeta, and while he admits director Gary Ross is "meeting a lot of people right now," he's seriously gunning for the part. Here's what Hutcherson had to say about the character:

In the book, America has fallen apart and been replaced by a society run by the harsh Capitol; every year two teenagers from each of the country's 12 districts is sent to participate in the Hunger Games, a battle to the death held to entertain the people in the Capitol and remind the districts of how powerless they are. Katniss and Peeta are the chosen fighters from the dirt-poor District 12; while Katniss is a scrappy hunter and prickly to everyone she meets, Peeta is a relatively well-to-do baker's son, friendly and funny even when Katniss is hostile. I Am Number Four's Alex Pettyfer was apparently offered the role, but for me Hutcherson is far more appropriate for it, capturing that approachable everyday guy vibe without being a total wimp.

With neither Katniss or Peeta yet cast-- and the third point of the love triangle, Gale, not even mentioned yet-- I imagine Ross is meeting with a lot of actors to test out their chemistry together, and probably looking for actors who look young enough to play their 16-year-old characters but are old enough to be past child labor laws. I still think Lawrence is too old for the part, but if they manage to pair her with Hutcherson, I could renew my faith in the whole venture after all.

Do you guys have any dream suggestions for Hunger Games casting the rest of us should be keeping in mind?

In the past few weeks few things in the movie world have befuddled me more than the casting for Gary Ross' The Hunger Games. Since the hunt for an actress to play Katniss Everdeen began, many names have been floated, including the likes of True Grit's Hailee Steinfeld and Abigail Breslin. One name that has gotten a lot of press, however, has been Jennifer Lawrence, who is coming off an Oscar nominated performance in Winter's Bone. Why is this weird? Lawrence is a 20-year-old blonde Caucasian while Katniss is 16 and is described as having dark hair and an olive complexion. What's only going to make this weirder? Lawrence is apparently the frontrunner.

Variety is reporting that Lionsgate is close to sending Lawrence an offer for the lead role in the Suzanne Collins adaptation. (Deadline is reporting a similar story, though when they reached out to Lawrence's representation and Lionsgate neither would confirm the story). The movie is set in the future where teenagers are selected from one of twelve districts to be put in an arena and fight to the death. Billy Ray (Volcano, Flightplan) wrote the script.

I haven't read the books so I really don't have a dog in this race, but considering how drastically different Lawrence is from the character, even with her considerable talent, I can't imagine that fans would be too pleased - but then again that may just be me talking out of my ass. What do you think? Do you want Katniss to be played by Jennifer Lawrence?

Spider-Man 4 is set to start shooting in February of next year and somewhere out there, Gary Ross is hard at work on the script. So that must mean they have some idea of where the web-head’s franchise is going next, but if they do Sam Raimi’s not talking… except in vague, hint-filled terminology.

When asked who the bad guy in Spider-Man 4 would be by MTV, Raimi had this to sasy: “What we're trying to do right now is really understand the journey Peter is going to go on this time and have the villain maybe be a counter to that growth, something that he has to overcome.” Well we’ve already covered most of Spidey’s most personal bad guys so that really leaves this thing pretty wide open. Still it’s nice to know that they’re approaching Spidey’s next arch-nemesis from the right angle, rather than the “squeeze as many villains in as possible” approach Sony forced on them for the last one.

Raimi continues, “Or maybe he has to grow in a way to overcome the villain, because there always seem to be stories of coming of age, of a young man growing up and learning things about life, so once we are identifying the exact movement that Peter has to grow to, I think the villain - and we're trying this right now…. we're trying to choose a villain based on who would be the proper counter to that growth, so we really have dramatic conflict"

Spider-Man 4 should be in theaters on May 5, 2011. Admit it, even if you hated Spider-Man 3, you’re already excited.

As of two week’s ago Venom writing duties fell to Zombieland co-writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. Now, Variety reports that Gary Ross may not only be writing the Venom screenplay, but directing the film as well.

Ross is responsible for rewriting James Vanderbilt’s Spider-Man 4 script and will get going on Venom as soon as his work on that is completed. Thankfully Ross has no ties to Spider-Man 3 but he does have a history of collaborating with Spidey himself, Tobey Maguire. Ross wrote and directed both Seabiscuit and Pleasantville. On another promising note, Ross co-wrote the screenplay for the fantastic 1988 film Big. The credentials are there, let’s just hope Ross delivers. Not only would it be fantastic to see the Spider-Man film franchise regain its glory, but it’ll also be nice to see the infamous villain Venom emerge from the Spidey 3 muck.

Another element of the film Variety touches upon, which hasn’t really been addressed, is whether or not Topher Grace will reprise his role as Eddie Brock. I’ve got nothing against Grace but am thankful to hear the article note that the film will be approaching the character from scratch and the role will likely be recast.

In the Spider-Man realm, Venom is a liquid-like creature that requires a host. In Spider-Man 3 that host was Eddie Brock, but Brock wasn’t the only character known for being transformed into the super-villain in the comics. There’s also Mac Gargan. Gargan was a private investigator for J. Jonah Jameson who underwent a procedure aiming to give the subject the abilities of a particular animal, in his case, a scorpion. At one point, the Venom symbiote offers Mac new abilities and he transforms from Scorpion into Venom. Hopefully, we’ll see a more narrow focus emerge soon.

It’s mind boggling how many writers blockbuster movie scripts go through. Between studio notes, director notes and rewrite after rewrite, it’s impossible to even know which wordsmiths’ words are being spoken onscreen. These movies are practically written by focus groups. So the fact that Spider-Man 4 has only gone through three writers (that we know of) so far isn’t so bad.

The newest writer added to that bunch is Gary Ross, according to Variety. Gary Ross will be providing the third rewrite of the Spider-Man 4 script, with the first two drafts being taken care of by James Vanderbilt and David Lindsay-Abaire, respectively. Ross comes aboard with plenty of Tobey Maguire experience, having written and directed Seabiscuit and Pleasantville, two of Tobey’s few non-Spidey flicks.

This is to be expected of a movie as big as Spider-Man 4, especially after the lackluster fan reaction of the last movie. While big bucks are obviously the first priority, I think Sony is aware that keeping Sam Raimi and the returning actors happy without a strong story will be tough. It’s hard to see what Gary Ross brings to the whole picture, though, other than a good professional relationship with Sony. I’d much rather see Vanderbilt’s script come to fruition. Spider-Man with a Zodiac tone? I’m down.