Hunger Games Fever: Script Spoilers, An Exhibit, And Really? A Possible Theme Park?

The Hunger Games franchise is catching fire anew this week, with restless fans pushing for script spoilers and trailer dates and chaos on the set leading to havoc and cast injury. Fox News reports that a source close to the set in Germany told an affiliate station that a number of actors, including Michelle Forbes (Lieutenant Jackson), have been injured in the past few weeks due to a variety of factors, including stunts gone awry.

The insider called conditions on the set of the new Hunger Games “pandemonium.” The Fox article quotes:

“‘There is a lot of yelling and everyone is getting confused with scheduling and their shots,’ the insider said. ‘Everyone just wants to get this done and get home. The actors have tremendous respect for Francis Lawrence (the director). He is really the glue holding this whole thing together.'”

Lionsgate denies that there have been any injuries on the set and claims that filming for the final installment in the franchise, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, is on schedule.

That’s not all the Hunger Games news we got this week, though. The announcement of a new exhibit based on the franchise brought skeptical commentary from a variety of sources. The Hunger Games exhibit will feature artifacts from the production, as well as production information, background about the world and the backstory, and “real” artifacts from around Panem. It’s an ambitious idea, and the SCTimes article on the topic hits the nail on the head with its analysis:

“There’s a strategic logic to the move. A number of bigger studios see major revenue and easy synergies with rides tied to movies and movies stemming from rides — Disney and Universal have been mining this for years, the latter not just with its own films but with dedicated parks such as The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, licensed from Warner Bros. Though a mid-major, Lionsgate wants in on the action too… Of course, ‘Hunger Games’ [sic] is pretty dark stuff, so it will be interesting to see what the company chooses to incorporate, and how it does so.”

Indeed. Museum displays seem to be a long way from something like The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, but the advantage they have over a world-immersion theme park is that they are much less expensive to run, and they can move to the audience’s location. Only time will tell whether that proves to be an effective investment plan for the future of the Hunger Games franchise. Daily Finance discusses why it’s not likely to lead to a Hunger Games theme park, even if it is successful.

The exhibit isn’t the only new release, either. Scriptwriter Peter Craig spoke about working on the Hunger Games films at a roundtable discussion. Yahoo reports that he covered topics like his relationship to the original books, his writing process, and (most interestingly), some hints and spoilers at the content of the final two Hunger Games films.

Yahoo says this [possible spoilers]:

“Craig’s comments suggest that ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part One’ will focus on Katniss’ mental instability and post-traumatic stress, as well as showing the rising tensions in society. Katniss’ lack of trust will undoubtedly play a huge role in the film, as she struggles to connect with President Coin, while worrying for Peeta and feeling anger towards Haymitch due to his betrayal.”

Last but not least, even with all these developments, Hunger Games fans remain hungry. In an article published Wednesday, the International Business Times covers the angst and ennui that is a social-media based fandom that is currently in the throes of trailer anticipation. Keerthi Mohan writes that the delays are caused by the extra labor involved in digitally inserting Philip Seymour Hoffman, who died earlier this year, into the few scenes he was still supposed to appear in.

Still, the next Hunger Games movie is due out in November, less than six months from now. How long must fans wait to get a glimpse at the terrain that Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part I will cover?

Image via Comicbookmovie.com