'The Hunger Games': 15 Things You (Probably) Don't Know About the Blockbuster Franchise

What's left to say about "The Hunger Games" franchise? You've seen the first three movies, you've contributed to their $2.3 billion worldwide box office haul, and you've helped make stars out of Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth.

Still, as immersed as you've been in Suzanne Collins' post-apocalyptic series of books and movies over the past few years, there are still things you may not know about the making of the four films. So before you see "Mockingjay -- Part 2," check out these 15 things you need to know about the exploits of the Girl on Fire.
1. Among those who auditioned to play Katniss: Abigail Breslin, Chloe Grace Moretz (pictured), Emma Roberts, and Shailene Woodley.

2. Lawrence knew just how life-changing the role of Katniss would be for her, and she responded to the offer by saying no. But then she thought about it for three days, realized she would be disappointed if she didn't play the part, and changed her mind.

3. To prepare for his audition for the role of Gale, Liam Hemsworth ran lines with his brother, "Thor" star Chris Hemsworth, who rehearsed as Katniss.

4. Lawrence learned to shoot arrows from no less than five-time Olympic archer and bronze medal-winner Khatuna Lorig.

5. During down time on the "Hunger Games" shoot, Lawrence tried to impress co-star Josh Hutcherson (Peeta) by claiming she could kick so high her foot would clear his head. It didn't. She swatted him in the temple and knocked him out cold.
6. According to Entertainment Weekly, during the "Hunger Games" shoot, Lawrence went to an Elvis Costello concert one night and got up on the stage to dance. No one recognized the 21-year-old, then still on the cusp of fame.

7. Usually, second-unit directors, who film the scenic shots and other background material so that the director can focus on working with the stars, are unknowns working their way up to becoming directors. But the second-unit director on "Hunger Games" was Oscar-winning A-lister Steven Soderbergh, who came in for one day to film the District 11 riot.

8. The elaborate costumes Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks) wears in "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" were borrowed from an Alexander McQueen collection.

9. "Catching Fire" is (as of this writing) not just the highest-grossing of the "Hunger Games" films (at $425 million), it is also the highest-grossing film of 2013. It also marked the first time since "The Exorcist" in 1973 that the year's most lucrative movie had a top-billed female protagonist.

10. The two "Mockingjay" movies were filmed back-to-back. The epic-length production involved 152 days of shooting over the course of 10 months, in locations that included Boston, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Paris, and Berlin.
11. Philip Seymour Hoffman's death in 2014 occurred when he had just seven days of shooting left, on two scenes as game designer/rebel propagandist Plutarch Heavensbee.

12. Initially, the filmmakers contemplated using digital trickery to generate a performance for those two "Mockingjay -- Part 2" scenes (as was done for Oliver Reed when he died during production of "Gladiator"), but the scenes were ultimately rewritten so that they didn't involve his character.

13. "Mockingjay -- Part 2" is being released throughout most of the world in 2D and 3D versions, but here, where 3D fatigue has set in, it's just in 2D.

14. Although Suzanne Collins wrote only three "Hunger Games" books, studio Lionsgate has announced it's hoping to develop sequels and prequels to keep the franchise going, the way Warner Bros. is doing with "Harry Potter."

15. Over the next four years, Lionsgate is preparing at least three theme park attractions based on "The Hunger Games," one in Dubai, one in Macao, and one north of Atlanta. Presumably, guests will not be forced to kill each other.



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