The Hunger Games: Mockingjay—Part 2’s marketing department has not been sleeping on its publicity efforts and also probably not sleeping, literally. Lionsgate’s gotta stay woke on the final installment of its multi-billion dollar franchise, y’all. Over the past couple months, we’ve dutifully debuted an animated logo for the film, covered the announcement of a new Hunger Games exhibition, unpacked a new poster featuring a beheaded President Snow, analyzed Jennifer Lawrence’s social-media prowess as it pertained to presenting a new image from the movie, and probably some other stuff that I can’t remember because I just ate some weird berries.
My point is, from now until November 20, whether we like it or not, we’ve all volunteered as tributes in the Hunger Games: Mockingjay—Part 2 Hunger Games. For the next five months, we’re going to be relentlessly pursued by Hunger Games: Mockingjay—Part 2 trailers, posters, stills, #UniteRevolution hashtags, stilted talk-show segments with Josh Hutcherson, and misleading pull quotes from Jennifer Lawrence profiles. So let’s all mentally ready ourselves and agree to treat each other with kindness and respect throughout, at least until there are only a few of us left and we have to start indiscriminately murdering each other. Our first order of business: Watching the first trailer, which is chock full of the sort of grim imagery, on-the-nose dialogue, and genuine emotion (thank you, Jennifer Lawrence) we’ve all come to expect and desperately love from the OG dystopian YA franchise. Shit’s getting real(ish) in Panem:
The trail of the tape
Title: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay—Part 2
Director: Francis Lawrence
Screenwriters: Danny Strong, Peter Craig
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth
Release date: November 20, 2015
The entire trailer in one line of dialogue: “Snow has to pay for what he’s done.”
The entire trailer in one screengrab:
If Mockingjay—Part 1 made you cry on a transatlantic flight (what?), just wait for Part 2. Katniss has to singlehandedly lead a massive rebellion against a powerfully corrupt government, not die at the hands of a bloodthirsty maniac, and finally make her Sophie’s Choice re: a lifelong lover (I’m still Team Katniss-Gale-Peeta Throuple), all while maintaining a very well-wrought fishtail braid. Women: They really can have it all!