By Hillel Italie, National Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --The next "Hunger Games" book is coming out next month, and a movie version is now being planned.
Lionsgate is working on an adaptation of Suzanne Collins' "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes," a prequel to her three "Hunger Games" novels that will be released May 19. Collins' Dystopian series, which includes "The Hunger Games," "Catching Fire" and "Mockingjay," has sold tens of millions copies worldwide and is the basis for four Lionsgate movies that earned nearly $3 billion and starred Jennifer Lawrence as the heroine Katniss Everdeen.
For the new movie, Collins will serve as executive producer and write the film's treatment. The screenplay will be by Michael Arndt, an Oscar winner for "Little Miss Sunshine," a nominee for "Toy Story 3" and one of the writers for the adaptation of "Catching Fire." Francis Lawrence returns as director after making the three previous "Hunger Games" movies. Nina Jacobson will again produce, along with Brad Simpson.
A movie deal has long seemed inevitable. When Collins' book was announced last year, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Chairman Joe Drake told the AP that the company had "been communicating with her during the writing process."
But with movie productions halted by the coronavirus pandemic, no release date has been set and casting has not begun. The film will take place in Collins' fictional Panem, and center on 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow, the future president, played in the earlier movies by Donald Sutherland.
"Lionsgate has always been the cinematic home of 'The Hunger Games,' and I'm delighted to be returning to them with this new book," Collins said in a statement Tuesday. "From the beginning, they have treated the source material with great respect, honoring the thematic and narrative elements of the story, and assembling an incredible team both in front of and behind the camera. It's such a pleasure to be reuniting with Nina, Francis, and Michael to adapt the novel to the screen, and having them share their remarkable talents, once again, with the world of Panem."
Drake said in a statement that Collins' new novel is "creatively thrilling and takes this world to complex new dimensions that open up amazing cinematic possibilities."
"We're thrilled to reunite this filmmaking team with this very unique franchise, and we can't wait to begin production," Drake said.
6 recipients named for Life Achievement Awards from Society of Camera Operators
The Society of Camera Operators (SOC) has announced the recipients of the upcoming Society of Camera Operators Lifetime Achievement Awards. Recipients will be presented and honored during the SOC Awards on February 15, 2025, at the Loews Hollywood Hotel.
SOC president Matthew Moriarty shared, “This year’s honorees represent an exceptional level of skill, dedication, and artistry. From broadcast to film, unscripted television to still photography, these individuals have made significant contributions to their craft and helped shape the stories that captivate audiences. We are proud to recognize their talent and celebrate their careers.”
The Lifetime Achievement Awards are given in recognition of outstanding achievement by an established person within the field of film and video production. The honorees of the Lifetime Achievement Awards were nominated in six categories including: Camera Operator Film and Television, Camera Operator Broadcast & Live, Camera Technician, Mobile Platform Camera Operator, Still Photographer, and (new) Camera Operator Unscripted.
The recipients are:
--Still Photographer – Zade Rosenthal
--Camera Operator Film & Television – Bonnie Blake, SOC
--Mobile Camera Platform Operator – Tim Christie
--Camera Technician – Jamie Felz
--Camera Operator Broadcast & Live – Larry Heider
--Camera Operator Unscripted – John Armstrong
Submissions are now open for the Camera Operator of the Year Award, which honors operators in Feature Film and Television, with a deadline of December 31, 2024. Final nominees will be selected by SOC voting members, with winners announced at the awards ceremony in February. The Technical Achievement Award, recognizing innovative... Read More