Of all the running franchises in Hollywood, The Hunger Games unquestionably has one of the largest fanbases. The series got a jump start thanks to the trilogy of novels written by Suzanne Collins, which were all best sellers before the movie industry got its hands on it, but since Gary Ross' adaptation of the first book came out last year the property has reached phenomenon levels. By the end of its run the first film made a stunning $408 million domestically, and became one of the biggest hits in the history of March releases. Fans are already frothing at the mouth for the sequel, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, which is being directed by Francis Lawrence and will be out later this year, but before the follow-up hits theaters it will be making a very special stop down in southern California.
With San Diego Comic Con now less than a month away, Lionsgate has announced their plans for the annual convention, and have revealed that The Hunger Games: Catching Fire will indeed be part of their panel plans. Unfortunately, details beyond that are fairly slim. It has been confirmed that the studio will be taking over the famous Hall H on Saturday, July 20th, and will be playing an exclusive new trailer for the fan-filled crowds, but the studio's press release doesn't mention who will be attending on behalf of the film. Logic dictates that stars Jennifer Lawrence (who could also be attending for Bryan Singer's X-Men: Days of Future Past), Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth and the director will show up on stage, but as of now nothing is official.
Adapted by Simon Beaufoy and Michael Arndt, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire picks up at the end of the last story as Katniss (Lawrence) and Peeta (Hutcherson) make their victory tour after their shared win in the Hunger Games arena. The bad news, however, is that President Snow (Donald Sutherland) begins to see the duo as a possible revolutionary threat, and as a means of cutting them down finds a way to get them back into competition. You can watch the first teaser trailer for the movie below.
But that's not all Lionsgate has planned for ComicCon. In addition to The Hunger Games, the studio will also be delivering audiences their first look at I, Frankenstein, the upcoming graphic novel adaptation that stars Aaron Eckhart, Yvonne Strahovski and Bill Nighy.The studio promises never-before-seen footage from the movie, which won't be in theaters until January 24, 2014. Directed by Stuart Beattie, the story centers on Adam, a Frankenstein monster who finds himself in the middle of a war between immortal gargoyles and demons, both of whom wish to discover the secret of Adam's immortality. We don't have a preview of the film yet, but you can check out its cool lenticular poster below.
