WATCH: The new trailer for ‘The Hunger Games: Catching Fire’
Appearing online moments before it was unveiled to the legions at San Diego’s Comic-Con on Saturday afternoon, a new trailer for “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire†rippled across Twitter and began its work generating buzz for the latest installment of the blockbuster young adult franchise, which arrives in theaters Nov. 22. (Watch it below.)
Jennifer Lawrence returns as “girl on fire†Katniss Everdeen, winner of the teen death match in last year’s inaugural “Hunger Games†movie.
But things have most certainly changed -- the trailer makes that repeatedly and abundantly clear -- since she and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) remapped the rules of the game with their shared victory based on a sham romance.
“Since the last games, something’s different. You can see it,†Katniss’ sister Primrose says in the trailer.
“What can you see?†Lawrence asks.
“Hope,†Prim replies.
The first half of the clip functions to spell out the political turmoil and social unrest Katniss’ dark horse victory has spurred across the dystopian, postapocalyptic landscape. So much so that Donald Sutherland’s President Snow is shown plotting Katniss’ demise with head gamemaker Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman). Their plan: bring back everyone’s favorite archer-heroine for the 75th Hunger Games and bump her off on live TV.
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In the trailer’s second half, viewers are introduced to the girl on fire’s new competition, including a couple of blond hunks who look like refugees from “Beverly Hills 90210,†an athletic woman who appears highly adept at axe murder and a female contestant with dagger-like teeth.
“I think these games are gonna be different,†Woody Harrelson, as Katniss’ and Peeta’s grizzled mentor Haymitch Abernathy, says. “Last year was child’s play. This year you’re dealing with all experienced killers.â€
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