'Mockingjay Part 2' Production Notes Released

The massively long Mockingjay Part 2 production notes have been released. You can read the full document HERE. There are some really great nuggets within those 97 pages including cast and crew interviews and the film's credits. Probably some *SPOIERS* in here for those who haven't read the books.

Some of our favorite bits:

The toast babies (Katniss and Peeta's kids) are, as expected, being played by Jennifer Lawrence's nephews Bear and Theodore Lawrence. 

Francis Lawrence praises Josh Hutcherson's performance as Peeta Mellark:

Francis Lawrence says Josh Hutcherson’s willingness to go the edge in this new incarnation of Peeta was impressive. “He really blew me away in this film because he was so incredible at showing how tormented Peeta is in his current state. I know Josh so well, but watching him in these scenes, I didn’t recognize any part of him,” remarks the director.

Josh on playing Peeta in MJ2:

“Peeta’s always been known as being the down-to-earth, grounded, honest guy. But now he’s out of his
mind, I had to turn that inside out,” he says. “It shows a lot about the real feelings that Katniss has for Peeta that she still fights for him and believes in him even in this state.

Jennifer Lawrence talks about Katniss and Peeta's relationship:

Somebody being brainwashed to think that you’re an evil mutt is a hell of a strain to put on a relationship. They have to start over.

Nina Jacobson on Katniss and Peeta:

“She has her moments with Gale in this film, but even he can see through her,” Jacobson muses. “Her heart is stuck on Peeta. She can’t let him go, even now, and I think that’s pretty poignant.”

and on her committmentto remaining faithfull to Suzanne Collins' books:

“I have such profound respect for Suzanne and I love the books so much and understand how fans feel about them,” Jacobson closes. “So from the start, we had a total commitment to do right by the books and deliver cinematic storytelling at the highest level. That was a huge thing to aspire to do, but I never could have forgiven myself if we’d gotten it wrong. We had an obligation to come through for people and it’s been an incredible experience. I hope we will continue to talk about all the incredibly relevant things this entire story is about: human society, the costs of war, the exploitation of tragedy for entertainment and the dangers of losing our individual narratives in tyrannical times. It’s a story for the ages.”

What Francis Lawrence is most excited about:

One of the things that I’m most excited about is the film’s final scene,” says Francis Lawrence. “There was a really strong feeling on the set when we got to the scene – a feeling that all the history of all these characters through the course of these four movies had built up to this singular moment. I hope audiences really feel that history and also a sense of the future. Everything that has happened to Katniss and all the themes of the story have wound together to come down to this final glimpse of her world, so it was very important that we really get to live inside it.

Our thanks to QuarterQuell for the production notes!

People Magazine 'Hunger Games' Special Edition Coming November 13

Hooray! People Magazine's The Hunger Games Special Edition will be out November 13th! This pic is from the November 9th issue of People.

The Ultimate Edition of Tim Palen: Photographs From The Hunger Games comes out November 20th and this is one of the images from that amazing edition of the book. The original version is out now(we adore it) and Assouline will give you 10% off the purchase of the book with the code HUNGER10. You can also find the book on Amazon. 

New Mockingjay Part 2 Stills & Behind the Scenes Details From Francis Lawrence and Nina Jacobson in LA Times

LA times posted some gorgeous (and heartbreaking *EVERLARK*) new stills from Mockingjay Part 2 today. In the article, Director Francis Lawrence and Producer Nina Jacobson give us some behind the scenes details about the rebels' charge on the Capitol.

"This is a building that we found outside of Paris," Lawrence said. "If you know the books, there's a sequence where they set off a trap with toxic oil, this black sludge that comes pouring down onto them. This is just after that sequence. In the movie, this has all been digitally enhanced and the whole bottom half of this courtyard has been covered in a black, hardened tar. The place is called Abraxas. When we knew we had to go deep into the Capitol we wanted to try to find as many real, immersive environments as possible. So we went on a search for architecture around the world that was aesthetically what we needed. We wanted that cross between brutalism and classicism." 

Together Katniss and her team must maneuver through a maze of deadly booby traps set by their oppressors. "Katniss and the squad are moving further into the Capitol," Lawrence explained. "And Boggs — the character played by Mahershala Ali, right — is holding a device called a 'holo' that has a database of the known pods and traps. But obviously others have been added, so we don't know if holo can see them all."

Although the film's setting has changed from the arena of the Hunger Games to the streets of the Capitol, one thing remains constant: Katniss' weapon of choice. But how well does a bow and arrow work when her team is forced into the sewers beneath the opulent city? "Katniss is pretty effective with it," Lawrence said. "And Gale with his crossbow, he's actually pretty effective [as well]. It's kind of fun because Gale's got their incendiary arrows which they're using to light up the tunnels."

But the fun doesn't last long, "As they make their way through the Capitol, some of them make it, and some of them don't," Jacobson said. "This moment with [Katniss] and Peeta [Josh Hutcherson] is a big turning point, this is her trying to bring him back to her. Everything that they are going through in this assault is pushing him to the limit." Clearly Katniss still has a connection to the former prisoner Peeta, "He's falling apart, and she's trying to keep him with them," Lawrence said. "And they have to keep moving. So this is actually a very fast, urgent moment that's not totally tender, although there's some tenderness to it."

No doubt this final stand will cost many Panem citizens their lives, but judgment day has arrived, all the way to the front steps of the dictator's door. "That is Snow's mansion," Jacobson hinted. "There's still quite a bit of reckoning to be done."

Don't Miss Jet to The Set - Tonight on PopTV

Don't miss “Jet To The Set: The Hunger Games” TONIGHT 9/8c on POP in order to catch an EXCLUSIVE, brand new Mockingjay Part 2 Clip featuring Finnick and Annie's WEDDING! Plus interviews with Jennifer Lawrence and Liam Hemsworth. You'll also learn how you can experience the city just like the cast!

POP is giving viewers a change to win a trip to the Mockingjay Part 2 Los Angeles Premiere! Tune in and watch for the special hidden sweepstakes hashtag during the show, then follow @PopTV on twitter and tweet the hashtag to them. For more details on how you can win, visit: poptv.com/JetToTheSetSweeps.

Find what channel to watch it on PopTV.com.

Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, Josh Hutcherson, Donald Sutherland and Francis Lawrence LIVE on Good Morning America November 18

Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, Josh Hutcherson, Donald Sutherland and director Francis Lawrence will join Good Morning America LIVE on November 18 to help GMA celebrate their 40th anniversary and chat about The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2!

To celebrate its 40th anniversary, Good Morning America will broadcast nonstop for 40 consecutive hours in an on-air and livestreamed event featuring celebrity performances, special events and the reunion of the morning show’s previous anchors David Hartman, Charlie Gibson, Sam Champion and Joan Lunden, among others.

The “40 for 40” event will start Tuesday, Nov. 17 at 5 p.m. and will run uninterrupted through 9 a.m. Nov. 19.

GMA’s “40 for 40” broadcast will be streamed live at ABCNews.com/live and GoodMorningAmerica.com, so be sure to tune in on Nov 18th to see our cast!

New & Final Issue of Capitol Couture - ULTIMA VOLATUS

Celebrate the arrival of ‪Capitol Couture‬'s final issue, ULTIMA VOLATUS, starring the Mockingjay herself, Katniss Everdeen. Read about her journey from District 12 to Mockingjay in "Her Final Flight." 

You can also check out some Capitol fashion.

Hannah Davis models the one of the new looks, along with the Samsung Gear S2. The look was created in collaboration with creative director Susanne Bartsch, and photographed by Steven Klein. More fashion stories will roll out over the next two weeks, all inspired by the revolution happening in Panem. This look in particular was “heavily influenced” by the motion and fluidity of the changing times across the country.

There are also gifs from Mockingjay Part 2 and more high concept fashion stories, all at CapitolCouture.PN. 

Another 'Mockingjay Part 2' Premiere Announced for Madrid on November 10th

Another Mockingjay Part 2 Premiere stop has been announced - by Josh Hutcherson on his Facebook page. Lucky Madrid! Josh, Jennifer Lawrence and Liam Hemsworth are coming to you on November 10th! We'll update with more details as they're announced.

The confirmed premiere schedule is now as follows:

November 4 - Berlin, Germany
Sony Centre in Berlin. Red Carpet 5pm German time/4pm UK time and 8am PT/11am ET for the US. Cast attendees are Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Donald Sutherland, Julianne Moore, Willow Shields, Sam Claflin, Elizabeth Banks, Mahershala Ali, Jena Malone, Stanley Tucci, Natalie Dormer, director Francis Lawrence, and producers Nina Jacobson and Jon Kilik.

November 5 - London, UK
Odeon Leicester Square in London. Cast attendees: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Sam Claflin and Natalie Dormer, director Francis Lawrence, along with producers Nina Jacobson and Jon Kilik.

November 9 - Paris, France
Le Grand Rex theatre in Paris. Cast attendees: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland, and director Francis Lawrence.

November 10 - Madrid, Spain
Madrid, venue TBA. Cast attendees: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth.

November 12 - Beijing, China
Venue and cast attendees are TBA. Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, director Francis Lawrence, and producer Nina Jacobson expected.

November 16 - Los Angeles, USA
Microsoft Theater, LA Live , Los Angeles. Film starts at 7:30pmPT. Last year the red carpet live stream began at 6pmPT. Cast attendees TBA but likely most of the cast will attend. 

Tim Palen: Photographs from The Hunger Games Exhibit Opening at the Leica Gallery LA

Photo via superphilnomenal on instagram

Selections from Tim Palen: Photographs from The Hunger Games are on display at the LeicaGalleryLA 10/28-10/31. Last night there was an opening reception and twitter and instagram were buzzing with photos from the exhibit.  

Photo via @Variety_DMcNary

Dave McNary from Variety spoke with Tim Palen at the opening (and shared these pics on twitter) who said, "Taking shots of Jennifer Lawrence is easy; she's amazing." Above is Palen's favorite of the photos from the exhibit.

Josh Dickey from Mashable shared the following photos to twitter last night and spotted Liam Hemsworth, Francis Lawrence and  Evan Ross at the party.

I would like one for my living room thankyouverymuch. 

Don't have Tim Palen: Photographs From The Hunger Games yet? You are in luck! The kind folks at Assouline are offering our readers 10% off of their online order when you use the code HUNGER10 at checkout. Head over to Assouline.com to order.