Francis Lawrence Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Hunter Schafer is describing the challenges of her role in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer “Strange Darling,” the acclaimed horror film from director JT Mollner, has landed a major U.S. distribution deal at veteran producer Bob Yari’s new company Magenta Light Studios. Premiering at the genre event Fantastic Fest in 2023, the Miramax-produced thriller has been universally praised (it currently sits at 100% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with 14 reviews) for its inventive narrative structure and lead performances.

EXCLUSIVE: Sugar23 has signed Charlie Tahan, the actor, writer, and director best known for his breakout starring role on Netflix’s Ozark, for management.

Naman Ramachandran The Berlin Film Festival has just three Indian narrative fiction features in the 2024 lineup, but all of them are sophomore efforts by filmmakers who have already won global acclaim for their debuts. Raam Reddy burst onto the international scene with “Thithi” (“Funeral”), which won the Golden Leopard — Filmmakers of the Present and the First Feature awards at Locarno in 2015. Reddy’s ”The Fable,” which screens in Berlin’s Encounters strand, follows a happy family who live as owners of a vast Himalayan orchard, until a series of mysterious fires bring into question who they really are.

Jenny From The Block may be one of Jennifer Lopez’s most defining songs — but its music video is far from what she wanted it to be!

Jaden Thompson Sam Claflin told Variety that he would be “100%” open to returning to “The Hunger Games” franchise. On the Emmys red carpet with Variety‘s Marc Malkin, Claflin opened up about his reaction to the prequel film “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” and the potential for his widely beloved character Finnick to make an appearance in future “Hunger Games” projects.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Jennifer Lawrence may have lost the Golden Globe for female actor in a motion picture comedy or musical, but she provided some of the best moments of the 2024 ceremony. She went viral for mouthing “If I don’t win, I’m leaving!” at the camera when her nomination was announced, and then she generated more headlines for reuniting with her “Hunger Games” co-star Lenny Kravitz while inside the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is coming to digital!

Caroline Brew editor If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Enter the arena again when “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” arrives on premium video on demand and premium electronic sell-through on Dec. 19 from Lionsgate.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes.Directed by Francis Lawrence, the prequel is set 64 years prior to the first film and depicts the events that led Coriolanus Snow (originally played by Donald Sutherland) to become the tyrannical leader of Panem.Tom Blyth plays the young Snow, who is assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler) in the 10th Hunger Games.It’s the fifth film in series, following 2012’s The Hunger Games, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part One and Part Two.There are currently no announced plans for another film in the franchise. Producer Nina Jacobson, who has overseen all five Hunger Games films, has said she is uninterested in making another instalment unless author Suzanne Collins writes another story.“If [Collins] had a story in this world with something she wanted to talk about, something to explore, then great,” Jacobson told Polygon in summer 2023.

There have been tons of film adaptations of Stephen King‘s work over the years, but there’s one early novel of the prolific writer that’s never made it to the big screen: 1979’s “The Long Walk.” Several filmmakers have eyed the book for a movie over the years, including George A. Romero and Frank Darabont.

Tilda Swinton famously cut her acting teeth on the experimental films of late director Derek Jarman such as Caravaggio and The Garden as well as life-long friend Joanna Hogg’s debut short Caprice and Sally Potter’s Orlando.

UPDATE: The Thanksgiving stretch will see the most amount of moviegoing for this fall after being slowed down by the actors strike.

Warning: This podcast contains spoilers about the ending of Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes brought us back to the world of Panem, and fans of the franchise are likely wondering if there is more content on the way.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor “You may know me from other stuff, but I don’t use a lot of colors, except when necessary,” says renowned costume designer Trish Summerville. So, when it came to designing the main outfit worn by Rachel Zegler’s Lucy Gray in “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” Summerville, whose credits include “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” “Mank” and “Gone Girl,” had to wrap her head around “a rainbow dress with ruffles and things she keeps in her pockets.” The rainbow dress was one of the first outfits Summerville tackled.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Rachel Zegler is the new face of the “Hunger Games” franchise thanks to her role as Lucy Gray Baird in the new prequel movie, “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.” During a recent visit to “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” Zegler recalled what it was like meeting Jennifer Lawrence for the first time. Lawrence headlined the original four “Hunger Games” films as Katniss Everdeen, a role that turned the Oscar winner into a global superstar. “We were at Paris Fashion Week for the Dior show only a couple weeks ago,” Zegler said about her first encounter with Lawrence.

Jordan Moreau Welcome back to the “Hunger Games,” and may the box office odds be ever in your favor. The latest movie in the Lionsgate YA action franchise, “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” has made $5.75 million in previews at the box office.

Cruella,” “Joker” and “Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace,” only strewn with young-adult corpses, silly clothes and Roman names.The trouble is that by the end of the over two-and-a-half-hour movie, directed by Francis Lawrence, viewers still can’t quite put their fingers on why Coryo (Tom Blyth) picks the nasty path he ultimately does. Is it a basic lust for power? A lightbulb realization that survival is more important than morality? Who knows? A lot is shoved into a long and anticlimactic third act, but we’re left hungry for a meatier conclusion.“Songbirds and Snakes” is set during the 10th annual Hunger Games — a televised battle to the death that pits 24 low-class kids against each other in an arena — 64 years before the events of the first film.

The cast of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is hitting the red carpet in the Big Apple!

The book The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, written by Suzanne Collins, has been adapted for the screen by director Francis Lawrence, alongside screenwriters Michael Lesslie and Michael Arndt. The film delves into the chillingly formative years of Panem, a society not yet inured to the brutality of its central spectacle. This prequel, starkly contrasting its YA predecessors, morphs into a harrowing adult political thriller, unraveling the genesis of the Hunger Games with a disturbingly poignant lens — that is, when it can get out of its own way.

There are plenty of films where you can totally understand why a filmmaker feels like the end product was not really what was intended. Many times, that is a result of studio interference.

The Hunger Games headlines the big cinema releases of the week with a new prequel instalment.Adapted from the books by Suzanne Collins, the film series gave Jennifer Lawrence her breakout role as Katniss Everdeen across four films – ending with 2015’s The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2.A fifth entry hopes to spark the same YA zeitgeist once more, bringing back series director Francis Lawrence alongside a fresh-faced cast. For those who’d prefer to volunteer as tribute for literally anything else, there’s some other standouts hitting the big screen this week.The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes – November 17Set 64 years prior to the first film, this prequel depicts the events that lead Coriolanus Snow (originally played by Donald Sutherland) to become the tyrannical leader of Panem.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes might be dressed up like a prequel in its early roots story of villain-to-be Coriolanus Snow, and some might think that Rachel Zegler’s Lucy Gray Baird is just an early days Katniss from District 12.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes.The US singer-songwriter shared her haunting new track at the beginning of this month, which will feature on the official soundtrack from the Hunger Games prequel film, which is out November 17.The music video begins which a camera tracking shot moving into a cabin to find Rodrigo playing guitar and singing the song on the edge of a bed, building up to her running through a green field. The video is also interspersed with clips of Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler in their respective roles as Coriolanus Snow and Lucy Gray Baird.Watch it below.Other artists set to feature alongside Rodrigo in the film’s soundtrack include Zegler, Billy Strings, Charles Wesley Godwin, Molly Tuttle and more.The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes will follow the younger years of Coriolanus Snow (originally played by Donald Sutherland) on his path to becoming the leader of Panem.Previous artists to feature in the soundtrack to The Hunger Games films include Taylor Swift, HAIM, Charli XCX, The Weeknd, Coldplay, Lorde and more.Francis Lawrence, director of The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes said in a statement (via Variety): “From the very beginning of this franchise, we have been fortunate to attract some of the world’s most talented recording artists, whose music has accentuated and complemented the drama of the films while underscoring the emotional weight carried by the characters.“With her highly charged lyrics and urgent voice, Olivia Rodrigo taps into all of that as much as any artist today.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes cast had a lot say about their upcoming movie!

Rachel Zegler opened up about the various connections she shares with Hunger Games star Jennifer Lawrence.

Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes had its world premiere at London’s BFI IMAX this evening, with a red carpet that featured director Francis Lawrence and stars Rachel Zegler, Tom Blyth, Hunter Schafer, Josh Andres Rivera and more.

Rachel Zegler dons a fiery dress at the premiere of her new movie The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes held at Zoo Palast on Sunday (November 5) in Berlin, Germany.

Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is nearly here!

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is nearing its theatrical release, and author Suzanne Collins is giving her seal of approval!

Katniss Everdeen, it’s unlikely that she would ever appear in future films.Producer Nina Jacobson revealed that any further appearances by Lawrence, 33, is up to “Hunger Games” book series author Suzanne Collins.“If Suzanne has something to say, then she’ll write a book about it,” Jacobson, 58, told Yahoo! Entertainment recently.“Honestly, as much as I love Katniss, I think her story is complete,” she went on. “And I think that Suzanne feels that her story is complete.”Jacobson added: “But if that changes, and Suzanne has something she wants to say, and it involves Katniss, then I would be thrilled.”“But really, any chance to be back in this world, and lead with [director Francis Lawrence] and Suzanne, I would take regardless of who it was about,” she noted.Lawrence, 52, who helmed every single “HG” installment including the most recent one, echoed the producer’s sentiments, saying: “If for whatever reason she had some thematic idea that made sense to tell another Katniss story, I’d be in, and then I’m sure Jen would be in.”“But it really all comes from theme and idea, and Suzanne,” he said.Jennifer has been enthusiastic about a possible Katniss return in the past.

Bad news for fans who were hoping to see Jennifer Lawrence embody the Girl on Fire one more time.

Thania Garcia Olivia Rodrigo‘s new song for Lionsgate’s “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” is titled “Can’t Catch Me Now” and has been revealed as the official song of the film. To align with the film’s tickets going on sale Wednesday, the studios took over a billboard in Times Square to make the announcement, giving viewers a 60-second preview of the track.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Jennifer Lawrence told Variety in June during her “No Hard Feelings” press tour that she is “totally” open to reprising her “Hunger Games” role of Katniss Everdeen should the right opportunity arise. She added at the time, “If Katniss ever could ever come back into my life, 100 percent.” But franchise producer Nina Jacobson and director Francis Lawrence aren’t counting on it.

Jennifer Lawrence potentially making a return as Katniss Everdeen.Speaking ahead of the upcoming prequel spin-off The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes, the film series’ producer Nina Jacobson explained how Lawrence’s return would depend on whether original author Suzanne Collins writes a new novel involving her character.“If Suzanne has something to say, then she’ll write a book about it,” Jacobson told Yahoo Entertainment. “Honestly, as much as I love Katniss, I think her story is complete.