'The Hunger Games': New clip shows scene not in book
Could the scene help to set up 'The Hunger Games' sequel?
President Snow, played by Donald Sutherland, talks with game master Seneca Crane, portrayed by Wes Bentley, in a new clip from 'The Hunger Games.'
Lionsgate/YouTube screenshot
One thing that’s been an point of interest for fans of The Hunger Games books is how director Gary Ross will approach the issue of point of view. The entire trilogy of books is told from protagonist Katniss Everdeen’s point of view. A film is a different beast than a book, however, and if the recent “single-take” horror film Silent House proved anything, it’s that having an entire film that only focuses on one person is tricky proposition.
That said, The Hunger Games movie will have to feature scenes that don’t feature Katniss (played in the movie be Jennifer Lawrence), and now we’re getting a look at one with this latest clip from the film.
In The Hunger Games, 12 impoverished districts of what was once America are forced by a militant capital city to sacrifice a male and female contest (24 teens in total) for a battle to the death in a deadly arena. But the games actually live up to their name, as public relations, sponsorship, and video game-style traps are all part of the experience.
Well, every game needs a designer, and the Hunger Games have Seneca Crane (Wes Bentley) for that task. In the clip below, the game master goes to meet with the tyrannical President Snow, who will be portrayed onscreen by Donald Sutherland (in a bit of pitch-perfect casting):
It’s clear that the screenwriters (Ross, series creator Suzanne Collins and State of Play screenwriter Billy Ray) are using the expanded viewpoint to begin sowing seeds for the sequel – specifically Snow’s words about “a spark” needing be contained – dialogue that not-so-subtly refers to the title of already-in-progress sequel film, Catching Fire.
Kofi Outlaw blogs at Screen Rant.