And President Snow will be played by...

...Donald Sutherland!

I like it, I really like it.

Hunger Games casting update

There are a couple of important updates to my earlier post about the Hunger Games movie cast:

Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket

Woody Harrelson as Haymitch Abernathy

Although I was hoping for John C. Reilly as Haymitch, Woody Harrelson is growing on me. I'm eager to learn who they cast as President Snow!

Additionally, all the tributes have been cast as well as Seneca Crane, Caesar Flickerman, and Katniss' mother and while most are listed on IMDb, there are pictures of all the tributes posted on the film's Facebook page.

Hunger Games movie casting

It appears that new Hunger Games cast members are being announced daily, so I thought it would be helpful to have a look at them as a group. Lots of unknown actors in the mix, which should be interesting!

Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss











Josh Hutcherson as Peeta
 










Liam Hemsworth as Gale
 










Willow Shields as Prim (Katniss' little sister)
 
 









Amandla Stenberg as Rue (District 11 tribute)











Dayo Okeniyi as Thresh (District 11 tribute)











Levin Rambin as Glimmer (District 1 tribute)








Jack Quaid as Marvel (District 1 tribute)








What do you think of the casting so far? Do they look like you imagined they would?

Watch for new cast members on the Hunger Games Facebook page.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie trailer!

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie based on the hilarious books of the same name will be released on April 2nd.

Where the wild things are trailer

A trailer for a movie version of Maurice Sendak's classic picture book Where the wild things are was released a few weeks ago. It looks wonderful.



Bring on the wild rumpus!

(If you are unfamiliar with the story, you can always watch President Obama read it to the crowd at the White House Easter celebration.)

Percy Jackson is coming to a theatre near you

Yes, that's right, The lightning thief (the first book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan) is being made into a movie with lots of big-name stars, according to Variety. Here's a quick rundown:

Percy Jackson: Logan Lerman (I didn't really realize it until I saw his picture, but this is exactly how I imagined Percy Jackson.)





Grover (who was my favourite character): Brandon T. Jackson







Annabeth: Alexandra Daddario







Chiron: Pierce Brosnan

Zeus: Sean Bean

Poseidon: Kevin McKidd

Medusa: Uma Thurman (I can't wait to see Uma Thurman with snakes for hair, I really can't.)

Athena: Melina Kanakaredes

More cast choices will undoubtedly be announced in the near future as filming begins in Vancouver in a few weeks.

Also, the fifth and final book in the Percy Jackson series, entitled The last Olympian, is being released on May 5th. Check out the Percy Jackson and the Olympians site for more information.

City of Ember trailer

A movie version of The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau is coming out in October, and you can now watch the trailer. It looks like it'll be quite good!

Coraline teaser trailer

Coraline by Neil Gaiman is being made into a 3D movie, and it looks as creepy as the book is!



It's not due out until a year from now (February 2009), but it features the voice of Dakota Fanning as Coraline and is directed by Henry Selick, who also directed The Nightmare before Christmas.

Cirque du Freak movie

The popular horror series written by Darren Shan, Cirque du Freak, is to be made into a movie starring John C. Reilly and Salma Hayek and directed by Paul Weitz. According to this article, shooting will begin in February.

The film's IMDb page is here for more information and updates as they happen.

The Hobbit movie to be made

New Line Cinema and Peter Jackson, director of the Lord of the Rings movies, have just announced that there will be a film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit.

Yippee! :)

Inkheart teaser trailer

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke has been made into a movie.

So many books being made into films lately!

The Spiderwick Chronicles coming to a theatre near you

One of my favourite fantasy series, The Spiderwick Chronicles by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi, has been made into a film starring Freddie Highmore and Mary Louise Parker. It's coming out in February and here's the trailer:



You can view the trailer and get some more information at the official movie website, cast information at the IMDb Spiderwick movie page, and check out the series website as well.

Another book-to-movie!

I just read that a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie version of Pictures of Hollis Woods will be shown this Sunday, December 2nd, on CBS. It's a wonderful book and, looking at the cast that includes Sissy Spacek and Alfre Woodard, may well be a wonderful movie.

From book to movie

So many good books become movies, from the well-known to the not-so-well-known. Given that there are a few movies coming out in the next month or so that are based on or inspired by books, I thought I'd make up a quick list of books that are in the PRHS library that have become (or will soon become) movies.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott book • movie (1994)

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett book • movie (1995)

The Spiderwick Chronicles by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi books • movie (2008)

The Dark is Rising sequence by Susan Cooper books • movie (2007)

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen book • movie (2006)

The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton book • movie (1983)

Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz book • movie (2006)

The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis books • movie (2005) • movie (2008)

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer book • movie (2006)

Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery book • movie (1985)

Eragon by Christopher Paolini book • movie (2006)

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman book • movie (2007)

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling book • movie (2007)

Holes by Louis Sachar book • movie (2003)

The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien books • movie (2001) • movie (2002) • movie (2003)

Beowulf by Unknown movie (2005) • movie (2007)

Twilight movie!

Stephenie Meyer's Twilight (review here) is going to be a movie! Shooting starts in February and Bella will be played by Kristen Stewart. Read more here (Variety.com) and here (Meyer's website).

The Golden Compass movie trailer

One of the best books I've read this year is The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman, and it's been made into a movie that will be released in December. Needless to say, my ticket is practically bought already.



The Golden Compass movie website.

Internet Movie Database (IMDb) page for The Golden Compass.