Hunger Games 2: Catching fire

Jennifer Lawrence

Since the late entrance of director Francis Lawrence, who replaced Gary Ross last year, many trims and tweaks have been made to adapt Suzanne Collins' sequel for the big screen. But the beating heart of the book remains intact, Lawrence promises. ''It's still really Katniss' story—there are no diversions from her. I wanted to be true to the book, and I didn't want to reinvent it in any way. It just needed an adaptation.''

President Snow (Donald Sutherland), fearful of the growing unrest in Panem, sentences a stunned Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence, no relation) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) to return to the Capitol and fight to the death once more in an all-star edition of the Hunger Games. Philip Seymour Hoffman plays Plutarch Heavensbee, the new Head Gamemaker, and Jeffrey Wright is a former victor hurled back into battle, along with Snow White and the Huntsman's Sam Claflin as District 4's trident-wielding charmer Finnick Odair. 

Lawrence brought in a new costume designer, Trish Summerville, to amp up the level of manic sophistication in the Capitol's high fashion. And a new visual-effects supervisor, Janek Sirrs (The Avengers), should deliver the effects required for the grander scale of the new arena. Most encouragingly of all, Hunger Games' heroine is happy. ''Francis is really passionate about the book,'' says Jennifer Lawrence. ''It didn't seem like he was just excited to make a huge movie.'' Do you hear that, readers? He's one of us.

Believe you me, this sequel promises visual effects at its very best; you get to see a whole new picturesque arena - the Jungle! I hear all the supporting actors will reprise their roles, including Lenny Kravitz as Cinna. Jennifer's performance in Hunger Games, was up to par. Let's wait and see if she has any more surprises for us in Hunger Games 2: Catching Fire.