Sci-Fi Storm

Here are a couple of neat items for your Hunger Games appetite: First, tonight is the Red Carpet Premiere for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire in Los Angeles, but that doesn’t mean you can’t watch the red carpet – you can watch it live right here, starting at 9PM ET/6PM PT!
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Here is the first full trailer for the upcoming Hunger Games: Catching Fire, where you can get a full sense of the basic plot – Katniss has become a symbol to the Districts, and that is a dangerous thing.
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The nominees for the 2013 Hugo Awards were announced yesterday…here they are (with links when available if you want to check them out). The 2013 Hugos will be presented at LoneStarCon 3 in San Antonio, Texas, August 29-September 2, 2013 – the 71st Annual World Science Fiction Convention.

Best Novel:

[asin=0316098124]2312[/asin], Kim Stanley Robinson (Orbit)
[asin=0316081078]Blackout[/asin], Mira Grant (Orbit)
[asin=1451638450]Captain Vorpatril’s Alliance[/asin], Lois McMaster Bujold (Baen)
[asin=0765334798]Redshirts: A Novel with Three Codas[/asin], John Scalzi (Tor)
[asin=B00B9ZEMN6]Throne of the Crescent Moon[/asin], Saladin Ahmed (DAW)

Best Novella:

[asin=1616960655]After the Fall, Before the Fall, During the Fall[/asin], Nancy Kress (Tachyon Publications)
[asin=1616960922]The Emperor’s Soul[/asin], Brandon Sanderson (Tachyon Publications)
[asin=0956392458]On a Red Station, Drifting[/asin], Aliette de Bodard (Immersion Press)
[asin=B0089EHIA4]San Diego 2014: The Last Stand of the California Browncoats[/asin], Mira Grant (Orbit)
“The Stars Do Not Lie”, Jay Lake (Asimov’s, Oct-Nov 2012)
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Here are some of the big and our favorite stories we covered in 2012…

In January, rapidly rising British actor Benedict Cumberbatch joined Star Trek: Into Darkness, while CW’s Arrow dropped “Green” from the name and named Stephen Amell the lead actor.

We lost actor Ian Abercrombie and the voice of the Robot from Lost In Space Dick Tufeld.
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See the motion poster below…
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Francis Lawrence, who directed I Am Legend and stepped in to direct the second film of The Hunger Games franchise, Catching Fire, after Gary Ross elected not to do the sequel, has officially signed to stay on and direct the two-film split of the final novel, Mockingjay, as well. This will hopefully give stability for the remaining films, although it remains to be seen how well Lawrence does with it.

This is just funny…Cookie Monster and Grover from Sesame Street dropped by Entertainment Weekly, and did a few musical numbers about some popular movies, singing about The Hunger Games, The Avengers, Newsroom, and even Doctor Who! Check out the video at EW’s PopWatch…

Actor Jeffrey Wright, who played James Bond’s American CIA friend Felix Leiter in Quantum of Solace and Casino Royale and also appeared in Source Code, will play the role of electronics expert and repeat tribute Beetee, also nicknamed Volts, in the upcoming The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

From the release:

Santa Monica, CA, September 7, 2012- Lionsgate® and the filmmakers of THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE are pleased to announce that Jeffrey Wright has been cast in the role of Beetee in the much anticipated film adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ worldwide smash hit novel Catching Fire. Hailing from District 3, Beetee earns the nickname “Volts” because of his electronics expertise.

Critically acclaimed and celebrated by audiences for his performances in theater and on film and television, Wright garnered a Tony® Award in 1994 for his work in Tony Kushner’s Pulitzer Prize-winning epic “Angels in America” which he reprised in HBO’s 2003 mini-series adaptation, earning both a Golden Globe® and an Emmy®. He has played memorable roles in films as diverse as BASQUIAT, SOURCE CODE, CASINO ROYALE and QUANTUM OF SOLACE, W, SYRIANA, and CADILLAC RECORDS. Wright can next be seen with Mark Walhberg, Russell Crowe and Catherine Zeta-Jones in Allen Hughes’ political thriller BROKEN CITY.

THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE begins as Katniss Everdeen has returned home safe after winning the 74th Annual Hunger Games along with fellow tribute Peeta Mellark. Winning means that they must turn around and leave their family and close friends, embarking on a “Victor’s Tour” of the districts. Along the way Katniss senses that a rebellion is simmering, but the Capitol is still very much in control as President Snow prepares the 75th Annual Hunger Games (The Quarter Quell) – a competition that could change Panem forever.

THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE will be directed by Francis Lawrence, and produced by Nina Jacobson’s Color Force in tandem with producer Jon Kilik. The novel on which the film is based is the second in a trilogy that has sold more than 50 million books in print and digital in the U.S. alone.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire will be released on November 22nd, 2013.

The biggest question mark regarding casting for the upcoming sequel to The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, was who was going to play the role of Finnick Odair, the former Games winner from District 4 who is a big part of the last two books in the trilogy. Sam Clafin (Snow White and the Hunstman, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) was reportedly the choice for the role last month but had a conflict. Now Lionsgate confirms that Clafin is signed for the role.

From the press release:

Santa Monica, CA, August 22, 2012- Lionsgate® and the filmmakers of THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE are pleased to announce that Sam Claflin has been cast in the role of Finnick in the much anticipated film adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ worldwide smash hit novel Catching Fire. Charasmatic and clever, Finnick was a District 4 Hunger Games victor when he was fourteen.

After breaking out in his role as the romantic lead in last year’s PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES, Claflin starred in the box office smash SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN playing Prince William alongside Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron and Chris Hemsworth. He recently finished filming THE QUIET ONES opposite Jarred Harris, and MARY & MARTHA, in which he co-stars with Hilary Swank.

THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE begins as Katniss Everdeen has returned home safe after winning the 74th Annual Hunger Games along with fellow tribute Peeta Mellark. Winning means that they must turn around and leave their family and close friends, embarking on a “Victor’s Tour” of the districts. Along the way Katniss senses that a rebellion is simmering, but the Capitol is still very much in control as President Snow prepares the 75th Annual Hunger Games (The Quarter Quell) – a competition that could change Panem forever.

THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE will be directed by Francis Lawrence, and produced by Nina Jacobson’s Color Force in tandem with producer Jon Kilik. The novel on which the film is based is the second in a trilogy that has sold more than 50 million books in print and digital in the U.S. alone.

Lionsgate will release THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE on November 22, 2013.

The Hunger Games continues to impress – the [asin=B0084IG7KC]Blu-ray/DVD release[/asin] was this past weekend, and there were plenty of midnight release parties – typically something reserved for blockbuster franchises after they have proven themselves. But it seems that it was warranted – it is estimated that 3.8 million discs were sold on the weekend. Plus the digital downloads were also the highest ever for the studio.

That should give Lionsgate plenty of momentum going forward with the production of the sequel, Catching Fire, eagerly awaited by fans with a November 22nd, 2013 (Thanksgiving weekend) release date.