The worldwide phenomenon that is The Hunger Games continues as The Huger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 arrives in theaters on November 21, 2014. This will be the first Hunger Games movie in which the Tributes will not be competing in a life-and-death tournament. Instead, the legend of the Mockingjay will come to fruition as Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and her allies lead a rebellion against President Snow and The Capitol.
While this latest Hunger Games film is poised to be one of the biggest movies of 2014, there's plenty you may not know about this upcoming blockbuster. We've combed through the Lionsgate press notes and compiled this list of Hunger Games trivia to give you a behind the scenes look at the making of the first Mockingjay movie. As Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman are joined by new cast members like Julianne Moore, and Game of Thrones stars Natalie Dormer and Gwendoline Christie, here are some behind the scenes facts and trivia about The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1.
The odds are ever in your favor and we three-finger salute you - now venture forth into District 13, the latest Hunger Games movie, and all the surprises that await you.
30 Behind the Scenes Facts About Mockingjay, Part 1,
Gale becomes a dedicated soldier in 'Mockingjay.'
Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth) is beside Katniss the entire time in District 13, but he has also changed. "Gale has reached a tipping point," Hemsworth said. "He feels ready to go to war, despite the costs, and try to take down The Capitol."
Woody Harrelson returns as a very different Haymitch.
Woody Harrelson said that Haymitch going to rehab helped give the character a clearer view of what matters. "He truly sees how much he loves Katniss and Peeta, and he realizes they've become a kind of family to him," he said.
The film is lovingly dedicated to Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Philip Seymour Hoffman died with one week of filming left. Due to the fact that a majority of his scenes for the final two movies were already filmed, the role was not re-cast. Instead, they were finished with a combination of re-writes, camera tricks, and digital special effects.
Effie Trinket's role is greatly expanded in the 'Mockingjay' films.
One of the big departures from the book is the role of Effie Trinkett. The change, which received author Suzanne Collins's blessing came about after Collins saw how much fans loved the character in the previous film. "When Suzanne saw Catching Fire, she called and said, 'There's no way Effie Trinkett cannot be in the Mockingjay films.' Effie brings such warmth, fun, and levity to these dark stories," director Francis Lawrence said.
Jennifer Lawrence says Katniss felt like a different character in 'Mockingjay.'
"She felt like an almost entirely different character because she is so stripped down and feeling so empty," Lawrence said. "It is something that truly does happen to people after traumatic events like she's been through. Katniss still has the same core, but she's in a completely different place inside and out."
Designers were careful not to make Katniss look like a superhero.
When the Kurt & Bart costume design team designed Katniss's Mockingjay battle uniform, they visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art to look at their armor collection. "It was important to us and to director Francis Lawrence that Katniss not look like a superhero but more like a real woman soldier. Both the soldiers and Katniss have protective breast plates, but hers is a little fancier, while still being functional."
Watching JLaw develop Katniss was one of the highlights for director Francis Lawrence.
For director Francis Lawrence, one of the highlights of the entire Hunger Games franchise has been watching Jennifer Lawrence take Katniss through a vast range of experiences, each one internalized into a character who now has many layers. "It is incredibly complex to track somebody who is going through so much emotionally," he said.
Josh Hutcherson was most excited to adapt the 'Mockingjay' book.
"Where Peeta goes as a character is really dark and intense," Hutcherson said. "It is actually what I was most looking forward to as an actor from reading the books."
District 13's design came from 1960s and 70s nuclear facilities.
According to production designer Phil Messina, the inspiration for the design of District 13 came from 1960s and 1970s nuclear facilities. "The idea is that District 13 has developed as a kind of closed-loop society," Messina said. "They have been completely cut off from The Capitol, so they've been adding on new technology on top of old technology. You will see analog push buttons next to high tech - and that mix was very intentional on our part."
Effie doesn't want to be a part of District 13's revolution.
"What makes Effie so interesting is that she doesn't want to be in District 13," producer Nina Jacobson said. "Unlike Plutarch, she does not want to be part of any revolution."