Jennifer Lawrence On Splitting “Mockingjay” Into Two Parts
In a recent interview with the Washington Post, Jennifer Lawrence revealed what she really thinks about “Mockingjay”, the final book in The Hunger Games trilogy, being split into two parts.
Lawrence had reservations about breaking “Mockingjay” into two parts — “until I heard how much money I would be getting,” she said with a long laugh.
She said she initially thought it would be better to do the finale in a single film. When she got the news that it would be done in two parts, Lawrence was in the middle of shooting “The Hunger Games,” and she re-read the books and thought about how much had to be left out in adapting the first one.
“You want everything in there, but you don’t have enough room, and you’re trying to decide what’s going to get cut and what isn’t,” Lawrence said. “So it was a relief on the last one to know that we don’t really have to cut anything. We have enough time, we have enough room to really tell this story to the fullest, and we don’t need to cut anything.
“So that’s my artistic answer. It’s a very diplomatic answer. But what I’m really thinking is yacht, yacht. My own island.”
I know we’ve asked this before, but have your thoughts changed on breaking “Mockingjay” into Part 1 and Part 2? Is it a good idea or a bad one?
You can read the entire article here.
She gets more money lol But, seriously, i think its a good idea cos’ there will be more story telling and maybe the movies will get better as the years pass on.
I still think this is a horrible idea. …Unless Gary Ross directs both. To make two Mockingjay films appealing to me, they would have to make the movies meaningful as hell. I think, if they don’t use their extra time to drive home the book’s themes, then they’re just being greedy. Then it’s just more films for more money, like Jen said. And I think Gary Ross is the only director who could give the two parts of Mockingjay the depth they deserve and need.
Yerp, that is the biggest advantage about splitting the movie, we don’t have to worry about stuff getting left out.
The heart of the movie is more important than the plot details.
I am actually really pleased with this decision. Although I am completely against splitting films just to make more money, I really feel like it was the right decision with this book. If the material is extensive enough that it warrants two films then I’m completely ok with it. Whereas I feel, for example, Breaking Dawn was spilt just for extra money and to drag it out, I know that there is a good set of people in charge of this franchise and I trust them wholeheartedly. Plus it means the series lasts longer… I think I’d cry if I only had another 2 films to look forward to, I love Jen and Josh too much!
I think that it is a great idea because we all get more of what we love and I think that with this the movies will be much much better.
FRED, I’m with you. Not that I’m against the split but as long as this is used as a tool to bring the complex themes of humanity, war and identity the attention they deserve. The Hunger Games is an important story to me in terms of its comments on society. We all know it’s worth it money wise, two bites at the apple so to speak, just as long as they use this opportunity to get to the heart of what THG means.
And please God let Gary come back to write and direct it!
PS “… yacht, yacht. My own island.” Is it possible that Jen could make me love her anymore? She’s been on fire (no pun intended) in interviews this week!
I want Gary to come back so bad when I heard he left, but when I heard Francis Lawrence is directing it I was like…. GARY run far away and never come back! Francis Lawrence in my opinion has way more expirence and can put a lot more feeling in the movies.
I think it’s a good decision to make two movies. I think we’ll actually see what’s happening in the Capitol, and the rescue operation will be the climax of the first movie. My version would end with Peeta’s shocking reaction to Katniss. That still leaves a lot for the second movie.
i think its a good idea because that way they wont have to cut anything out, and that would ruin it if they did.
I just have reservations about them splitting the last book into two parts, because unlike Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and Breaking Dawn, there really isn’t a definitive part in the final book where a split naturally happens.
It just seems, to me, that anywhere they decide to cut the final book in half is going to seem.. Wrong. Out of place.
Hopefully they’ll surprise me with how they do it. Just have to wait and see it.
Maybe they will stop it when peeta chokes katniss.
I think its a good idea. Everyone I know is complaining that they’re only doing it for money (though most of those people have never read the books). An extra movie means extra entertainment for us. The last book will be the perfect opportunity to use every last minute of time they have to really explain the story and the weight of the situation. Any of the little things that get left out in Catching Fire could be introduced later, with more time for the smaller details. I for one am glad that I get an extra year to be excited and an extra movie. Who cares if they’re making a ton of money, they should be! Its a great series.
I don’t mind the split. As long as the whole book gets brought out by it. I suppose most go with the split at the shooting or choking. I like it with after the Annie/Finnick wedding.
I still think a good place to split it would be after the “dead by morning” bit and the bombing. Maybe end on a high note with Katniss being informed about the plan to go rescue Peeta.
And then in Mockingjay 2 they can start it off by introducing the characters’ internal wars, which echoes the external one.
Also, I laughed out loud at Jennifer’s remarks. I’m starting to love her to unhealthy degrees, lol.
Ahhh, I’m starting to love Jennifer, she’s actually really funny. I wasn’t too sure about her in the very beginning but now I think she’s perfect for the role, inside and out. I mean, anyone who can admit they’re glad they get more money from something is good in my mind. And I’m betting the split’s going to be right when SPOILER Peeta chokes Katniss. For dramatic effect, and all that jazz.
I agree with awkward silence I think they should split it when SPOILER Peeta chokes her. END SPOILER I think were getting a little ahead of ourselves we’ve still got a couple years.
I would love for Gary to come back and write the final two pictures, but TBH, I’d rather not have him direct it, I mean the writing was great but the shaky camera, horrible decision, no matter how great the movie turned out the shaky camera was a mistake outside of the arena, I was ok with it during the game, but why was the camera shaking up a storm in District 12 and the capital.
I’m really interested in what Josh Hutcherson would say on this topic – he always has great insightful comments on the story whenever he’s interviewed.
Mockingjay has so much material 2 films are needed, Good decision.
I think its a good idea to split Mockingjay. No its not the longest book out there but it is a very complex book, and to be made into a movie will be pretty hard to include all of the themes of humanity, the affect of war, human goodness, and love. But to be made in two films and expand the book should be a great move.
@Mike I don’t think the capitol scenes were shakey at all, Only District 12 and some parts of the arena. The only part where they shakey cam bothered me was when Katniss was running in the smoke.
@Mike, I totally agree with you. The story turned out great, all the right parts were cut out or played up. But the shaky camera outside the arena was really annoying. And I felt that they used a little too many lingering looks. Half of the movie was people just staring at things.
@El Camino I didn’t think about it at first, but cutting off after the wedding would be really good. They could cut off after she’s sent to 2.
Methinks they should cut it off after SPOILER Peeta chokes Katniss
Ugh autocorrect I meant I think
LMAO! She’s hilarious.
But really she shouldn’t say those things. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people out there who were born without irony-detectors…
I think it helps to remember how much Collins herself left out. She really rushed MJ, so IMO there’s no need to treat the written word as gospel. There’s plenty of story in her silences.
@Katie – yes, but even Josh said Jen was born without a filter. It’s a better bet that she was just being honest, though also exaggerating.
God, Jen. We love you so much
I think it’s a spectacular idea. That’s all I have to say about that.
i think its a great idea cause everthing will be in the story and nothing will get cut out, like in the hunger games. but what are they going to do about madge in the next 2 movies cause they cut her out in the first
Good, probably. Chance to tell proper history of Mockingjay pin is increasing then. It keeps bugging me. I mean, that certain pin is, indirectly, start most of what happen in Panem. Um.. just my 2 cents.
Good place to split in part 1? Hmm…
Katniss in District 2. She out to talk with 1 of rebel member (? -sorry, not remember well). Camera showing she got shot. End.
/shrug
I think this is a decision that could make sense from both the financial and artistic perspective. I fully expect the movies to add more material, likely to show the viewers events in the war that occur outside Katniss’s POV, and likely, go into more detail on the aftermath. I am also curious as to whether some of the Catching Fire material will be “held back” so to speak to give the first part of MJ more material.
As for when the split should take place; it seems the fandom consensus is “when Peeta is rescued, sees Katniss and…” but just because that would be so obvious a cliffhanger, I wonder if they might wind up splitting it somewhere else.
@SPM – I am very much hoping that the silences are expanded upon, obviously I hope they stick to the story and include all of the themes and tone the book had, but I am hoping that just like THG (and this goes for CF as well) that we do get some extra scenes. The split certainly isn’t a bad thing IMO, plus, who doesn’t want to see more Jen et al?
@satsuma – I am completely with you there in regards to the split, the choking scene does seem obvious so it would be nice if they could come up with another angle, or maybe expand on that a little. I have mentioned before that I wonder if cutting it off as the rescue mission ends could work? Katniss has no idea who has returned, how it went etc That would still be a pretty good cliffhanger.
The other left of field idea I guess is that they don’t really end on one of the books cliffhanger moments (choking, Katniss getting shot), but maybe one of their own making, like a battle scene?
(This is what I wrote on the forums):
Peeta trying to strangle her is the obvious point at which to split the film.
I’m not sure if I want them to do that though. I’m sure fellow book-readers remembers the trauma of that moment: on screen, to an audience which hasn’t read the books and is expecting an emotional reunion, breaking the film at that point could be TOO shocking.
IMO, what would work better would be for the rescue team to reach Peeta’s cell or wherever he’s held, and for it to be made clear that something is very, very wrong. For example, Haymitch could notice this and forcibly stop Katniss running towards him, and the film could end with a shot of Peeta’s deranged, violent eyes. Then open MJ part 2 with him attacking her.
And Jennifer’s responses are brilliant, haha.
I can see how it’s artistically justified, but I appreciate how she didn’t deny the financial reasons either. I just wonder why we’ll have to wait a whole year for the 2nd part to come out.
@Alan: Yeah, I think her comments were meant to be humorous, but candid at the same time. The message I got was “Well obviously the money matters, but we can make it work as a good, even great set of movies, not just something that sucks and is just a money grab.”
Re the movie split; I think that the impact of the “one change the movie might make is to actually show Peeta and other prisoners being tortured, which could result in there being less of a “punch to the gut” from Peeta’s later actions. As opposed to book canon when we get an idea that he’s being tortured, but nothing about the full extent of it. I can also see them shooting from Peeta’s POV when he first sees Katniss again (much like they shot briefly from Rue’s POV of the scene becoming blurry, just before she died). Maybe if, after they show “Peeta’s deranged, violent eyes” like 11thHeaven suggests, they show Peeta actually seeing Katniss as a mutt. That would make for a pretty scary cliffhanger in itself.
How to do this and keep the PG-13 rating, I’m not sure, but I noticed that in the first movie, often, they would show the lead-up and aftermath of tributes being killed, but not the killing blow itself.
@satsuma
The first movie did make judicious use of non-Katniss POV’s. I figure the other movies will do the same. Those are interesting ideas for Mockingjay.
I love the idea of splitting the movies. They wont have to cut stuff out and even more Hunger Games movies to watch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I mean, who can’t love that!
I also think that they should split when Peeta starts to strangle Katniss. Great cliffhanger.