Josh Hutcherson talks with MTV, named 'Most Likely To Play A Superhero'

If you're not yet familiar with Josh Hutcherson, you're about to be.

The talented 18-year-old has been a working actor for half his life, quietly paying his dues with roles on television and in films, earning Hollywood street cred in films like "Kicking and Screaming," "Bridge to Terabithia" and "Journey to the Center of the Earth."

Then last year, Hutcherson suddenly evolved from dependable sweet-faced child actor to formidable future leading man with his buzzed-about performance in the award-season darling "The Kids Are All Right." That career momentum kicked into future-superstar gear when Hutcherson landed the highly coveted role of Peeta Mellark in the big-screen adaptation of Suzanne Collins' best-selling "Hunger Games."

MTV: So let's talk briefly about "The Hunger Games" and that crazy audition process.

Hutcherson: For the audition process, I came in the first time and read a few scenes for [director] Gary Ross and [author] Suzanne Collins and some of the other producers involved. Then maybe about a week or so, maybe two weeks later, I came in and did a screen test with [co-star] Jennifer [Lawrence], where I actually read the scenes with her so they could see how the chemistry worked. Both of them felt really great, but as an actor, you just pick apart every single thing that you do, so for me, I was on pins and needles waiting to find out. And then when I finally found out, my jaw hit the floor. I was so excited.

Read the rest of the article here.

"Red Dawn" Remake with Josh Hutcherson Will FINALLY Hit Theatres!

According to ComingSoon.net, they are setting "Red Dawn" to release sometime in 2012:

Following a steady series of setbacks, Red Dawn is finally going to see the light of day in 2012. The LA Times reports that FilmDistrict, the studio behind the recently-released Drive and the upcoming The Rum Diary, will release the remake sometime next year.

In the film, an American city awakens to the surreal sight of foreign paratroopers dropping from the sky – shockingly, the U.S. has been invaded and their hometown is the initial target. Quickly and without warning, the citizens find themselves prisoners and their town under enemy occupation. Determined to fight back, a group of young patriots seek refuge in the surrounding woods, training and reorganizing themselves into a guerilla group of fighters. Taking inspiration from their high school mascot, they call themselves the Wolverines, banding together to protect one another, liberate their town from its captors, and take back their freedom.

Shot in 2009, the production fell victim to financial troubles at MGM, putting the release on hold. The last major update came earlier this year when it was reported that the invaders in the film were being re-edited to be portrayed as North Korean rather than Chinese in order to appeal to a broader international market.

Dan Bradley directed the remake, which stars Chris Hemsworth, Josh Peck, Josh Hutcherson, Adrianne Palicki, Isabel Lucas, Connor Cruise and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

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Twiffidy and I are extremely excited about this movie coming out. We've had the opportunity to see it already, and it definitely has some great Josh moments. More importantly, assuming they don't cut it out, we are incredibly anxious to see the reaction of one particular scene that Peeta fans will enjoy. Glad to see it will be coming out soon!

Hunger Games Featured on The Price is Right!

I watch the Price is Right everyday. Words cannot express my love for this show. As I was eating breakfast this morning, I think I almost spat my milk all over the table when George Gray announced that the first showcase was a book club showcase featured by.....The Hunger Games!

So what did the showcase include?

A fancy bookcase featuring The Hunger Games Trilogy and other books on the New York Best Seller List, A trip to Brazil ("You don't have to be in the Hunger Games to enjoy your own treetop hideaway with a trip to Brazil!"), and a Jeep.

Funny enough, the girl who bid on this showcase won! Thanks to The Price is Right, we may have yet another Hunger Games reader on our hands! 

Elusive Panem October Gamemaker to be on Mondays HG Fireside Chat!

Check it out!

That's a Wrap!

The Hunger Games Wraps Filming!

Close Of Principal Photography Confirmed

SANTA MONICA, CA (September 15, 2011) - LIONSGATE® (NYSE: LGF), a leading global entertainment company, today announced the close of principal photography on the highly anticipated film adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ runaway bestselling novel The Hunger Games.   Lionsgate will release THE HUNGER GAMES on March 23, 2012.  The film is the first in a series that Lionsgate is making based on the book trilogy that has become a worldwide phenomenon. 

Filmed entirely in North Carolina, the locations spanned from a dense forest in which the arena that hosts the games themselves was created to a town that stood in for Katniss’ home, District 12, to a sound stage that was the platform for the fantastical sights and sounds of The Capitol, the futuristic capital city of the nation of Panem.  Principal photography on the 84 day production began on May 23rd.

The film pairs Oscar® nominee Jennifer Lawrence (WINTER’S BONE, X-MEN FIRST CLASS) with Josh Hutcherson (THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT) and Liam Hemsworth (THE LAST SONG) in the key young adult roles.  Rounding out the cast is a who’s who of acclaimed adult actors: Oscar® nominee Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Oscar® nominee Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland, Wes Bentley and Toby Jones. 

“It has been an absolute thrill watching THE HUNGER GAMES, a project that has truly become part of Lionsgate’s DNA since our acquisition of the book in 2009, come to life.  What I observed on set was impressive on every level, and reinforced my confidence that we have assembled precisely the right team to bring Suzanne Collins’ brilliant novel to the big screen,” said Joe Drake, Lionsgate’s co-COO and Motion Picture Group President.

Although the intensely anticipated sets were closed to press and visitors, Lionsgate and the filmmakers were able to reach out and touch the incredibly eager fans several times during the production process. 

Lionsgate debuted the central cast trio through two Entertainment Weekly covers, featuring Jennifer Lawrence in character as Katniss and Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth in character as Peeta and Gale.  It marked the first time that a studio has revealed a principal cast of film characters on sequential national magazine covers. 

Winners of “The Ultimate Hunger Games Fan Sweeps,” a global contest where fans entered to win the opportunity to be flown to the set of THE HUNGER GAMES, was the one exception to the film’s closed set policy.  In mid August, five winners from around the world and their guests got a glimpse of the sets, observed the filming of a scene and met the cast. 

A heavily promoted first look at footage from the film debuted on MTV’s 2011 Video Music Awards on August 28th.  The show attracted MTV's biggest audience in the network's history with a record-breaking 12.4 million total viewers. 

About THE HUNGER GAMES
Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games.  Part twisted entertainment, part government intimidation tactic, the Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which “HYPERLINK "http://on.fb.me/hnNTgW"Tributes” must fight with one another until one survivor remains.

Pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives, Katniss is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy.  If she’s ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

 HYPERLINK "http://www.thehungergamesmovie.com/" THE HUNGER GAMES is directed by Gary Ross, and produced by Nina Jacobson’s Color Force in tandem with producer Jon Kilik. Suzanne Collins’ best-selling novel, the first in a trilogy published by Scholastic that has over 12 million copies in print in the United States alone, has developed a massive global following.  

Lionsgate will release  THE HUNGER GAMES on March 23, 2012. 

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Johanna Mason Short by Wellwood Productions

Wellwood Productions have come out with a new project about Johanna Mason. I was so close to working on this short, but due to scheduling conflicts I was unable to. Luckily, they sent me the finished project so I could share it with all of you!

'Hunger Games' seeking a broader audience as shooting wraps

There's no question that "The Hunger Games" is one of the most highly anticipated films due for release next year. But distributor Lionsgate is hoping that the frenzy of excitement will expand beyond the core audience of young adult readers who initially flocked to Suzanne Collins fantasy action series -- and they're making a big financial bet to demonstrate their commitment to the project, which stars Jennifer Lawrence as protagonist Katniss Everdeen. Once conceived as a mid-budget movie for young adults, "The Hunger Games" is now a nearly $100-million production aimed at fans of all ages.

Lionsgate first acquired movie rights to Collins' books in early 2009, when "The Hunger Games" had sold fewer than 500,000 copies. Since then, the trilogy has reached more than 12 million copies in print and become popular with a much broader audience, despite the young age of Katniss and others who compete to the death in the titular games.

As a result, the studio has expanded the budget for the movie and believes it will reach a much broader audience. The production, which wrapped in North Carolina on Saturday, was nearly $100 million, a figure brought closer to $80 million after tax credits.

See the story in Tuesday's Times for much more on production of "The Hunger Games" and what its potential success means for Lionsgate.

Source: LA Times

Hunger Games wraps in North Carolina

Yay onto post-production now! We're getting closer!

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