Let the Hunger Games Begin!

The next installment of the blockbuster franchise will undoubtedly set theaters ablaze when The Hunger Games: Catching Fire opens this Friday, Nov. 22. TIME counts down with the ultimate five-day walk-up for superfans and casual admirers alike

  • Share
  • Read Later
Murray Close / Lionsgate

TIME kicks off the week of Hunger Games mania with the first of five excerpts from Lev Grossman’s exclusive interview with author Suzanne Collins and director Francis Lawrence. A new installment from their conversation will be published every morning at 9 a.m. Eastern Time.

In Monday’s installment, the two discuss how Katniss has evolved from the heroine we met in the first book, the challenges of writing Catching Fire while the first book was exploding into a mega-success, and their very collaborative relationship.

Plus, what’s life really like as a tribute in post-apocalyptic Panem? While we wait for Collins’s dystopian universe to come to life in theme parks — which are in the works — we’ve gone ahead and imagined it ourselves. Click here to see the five attractions we’d want to see. And may the odds be ever in your favor.

Hungry for more? Here’s what else you can look forward to:

Tuesday:
Beyond the Blood: What ‘The Hunger Games’ Can Teach Tweens
Plus, Part 2 of our exclusive Q&A with Susan Collins and Francis Lawrence

Wednesday:
Teen Heroine Smackdown: 5 Ways Katniss is Better Than Bella
Richard Corliss’ review of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Plus, Part 3 of our exclusive Q&A with Susan Collins and Francis Lawrence

Thursday:
Consequence of Sound’s review of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire soundtrack
Plus, Part 4 of our exclusive Q&A with Susan Collins and Francis Lawrence

Friday:
Forgot What Happened in the First Hunger Games? Catch Up Here
Part 5 of our exclusive Q&A with Susan Collins and Francis Lawrence

 

Watch the trailer: