by admin | Apr 26, 2025 | Articles, Cinemablend Articles
This week, there’s been much excitement for The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, which is among the upcoming book adaptations. A plethora of casting news has surfaced, as the young Haymitch actor was revealed alongside the actress playing Haymitch’s girlfriend. Additionally, Ghostbusters’ Mckenna Grace is playing a District 12 tribute, and Jesse Plemons is portraying a young Plutarch. All the while, fans can’t stop talking about how one piece of casting reminds them of Rachel Zegler’s prequel role.
In 2023’s The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which serves as the origin story for President Snow, Rachel Zegler plays Lucy Gray Baird, a covey girl and District 12 tribute. The Baird name will return for Sunrise on the Reaping with Whitney Peak playing the role of Lenore Dove Baird, and fans are noticing how similar Peak looks to Zegler. Take a look:
Gossip Girl reboot, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and Hocus Pocus 2 is officially playing Lenore Dove Baird, who is the girlfriend Haymitch leaves back home when he’s chosen for the 50th Hunger Games. Peak and Zegler are not related and have distinct facial features, but I totally see what fans are talking about.
They both have massive doe eyes and similar noses. Some users can’t help but wonder if Peak’s casting is partially due to the producers wanting both Baird girls to look related. Check out another comment:
The Sunrise on the Reaping takes place 40 years after the events of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which ends with Lucy Gray Baird disappearing from Corilanus Snow’s view as he rises to power. Fans are also left with questions regarding Snow really loved her. Peak’s Lenore Dove won’t enter the Hunger Games, but she is very important to Haymitch Abernathy’s backstory.
Now that I can see, alongside fans, how Lenore will bear a resemblance to Lucy, this movie is only going to hit harder. Here are some more comments that reference the casting:
- “Whitney Peak and Rachel Zegler look like two Barbie dolls with the same face mold.” – @dankblonde1
- “whitney peak genuinely looks like she could be related to rachel zegler im with it 100%” – @stolenwisteria
- “I literally cannot get over how similar Rachel Zegler and Whitney Peak’s features are. Like casting went OFFFFFF” – @mblovestaylor
Plus, Rachel Zegler also took to social media this week to congratulate Whitney Peak on her casting. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes actress said “I know she’s gonna do the Baird name proud”. Now, I’m wondering if Zegler will cameo somehow! We’ll have to wait until the movie comes out on November 20, 2026. Until then, you can read The Sunrise on the Reaping book!
by admin | Apr 25, 2025 | Articles, Cinemablend Articles
For the next Hunger Games prequel film, Sunrise on the Reaping, the casting for Young Haymitch and other characters took a while because the Suzanne Collins book hadn’t come out yet. Now that the long-awaited novel is on bookshelves, it’s been revealed that the lucky actor portraying the young Hunger Games winner is Joseph Zada, with Hocus Pocus 2’s Whitney Peak portraying Haymitch’s girlfriend, Lenore. Hunger Games alum Rachel Zegler made sure to give her reaction to Peak’s casting, specifically, which is so on-brand for her.
Rachel Zegler may have been known to the world first in her Golden Globe-winning performance in West Side Story, but playing Lucy Gray Baird in Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes cemented her place in The Hunger Games series. While her character’s ambiguous ending leaves the actress out of any upcoming movies (as far as we know), Zegler is still being an on-brand team player, sharing on her Instagram stories how happy she is for Whitney Peak to be cast as Lenore and the connection to her own character:
For those like me who haven’t read the book yet, now we know that Whitney Dove’s character Lenore is somehow related to Lucy Gray Baird. I wonder if that means we’ll be hearing the actress belt out some tunes, as the Bairds are known for their musical ability.
seeing the first movie when she was a child. So I can imagine how happy the American actress must have felt to have a big role in the same series as an adult.
You could tell Zegler felt proud to play a character with similarities to Katniss in using her courage and strength to make the best of being thrown into a deadly arena for audiences to see. Even at the premiere of the 2023 prequel, the Snow White actress showed she was a Hunger Games buff wearing a stunning Katniss Everdeen-like dress similar to the fiery dresses the District 12 contestant wore during her interviews with Caesar. I’m sure seeing a fresh, upcoming actress like Whitney Peak join The Hunger Games family must feel like a full-circle moment for Zegler.
Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Co-President Erin Westerman told Deadline that casting decisions for the main characters of Sunrise on the Reaping came from wanting to launch the careers of lesser-known actors.
After all, Jennifer Lawrence was cast as Katniss, whose previous acting experience included the sitcom The Bill Engvall Show and the indie flick Winter’s Bone. The same was said with Tom Blyth, whose big role before being cast as young Snow in Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes came from the MGM+ series Billy the Kid.
Now, newbie stars like Joseph Zada and Whitney Peak will soon carry on the legacy of The Hunger Games series, which will lead to their breakthrough roles.
After seeing Rachel Zegler giving her props to Whitney Peak for joining the Baird family, it’s clear that this is the Y2K actress’s way of passing the torch for the next Panem citizen who’ll likely be getting a dose of The Capitol’s control. I’m anxiously excited to see Peak’s performance in the highly anticipated Sunrise on the Reaping movie hitting theaters on November 20, 2026.
by admin | Apr 24, 2025 | Articles, Cinemablend Articles
Adapting a video game is not the same as adapting a novel, a short story, a TV show, a stage musical, or anything else. When a game is made as a movie or series, it changes the relationship between the material and the audience: the role is distinctly changed from active to passive. It’s a complication that has plagued if not outright doomed a number of productions in the past, but in the writing of Until Dawn, screenwriter Gary Dauberman recognized the potential pitfalls of the process, and he found a specific way to navigate around them.
Last weekend, I had the chance to sit down with Dauberman and director David F. Sandberg during the Los Angeles press day for Until Dawn, and I began the interview asking about the process bringing the game to the big screen – specifically acknowledging the screenwriter’s history with multiple Stephen King films (namely IT, IT: Chapter Two, and Salem’s Lot). One of the key challenges he faced was the fact that the source material was created with the intention of being akin to an interactive horror movie, so trying a one-to-one adaptation was simply never going to be feasible. Said the filmmaker,
Rami Malek, Hayden Panettiere, Brett Dalton, and more).
Of course, that led to a different issue. If the Until Dawn movie wasn’t adapting Until Dawn’s story, what made it an Until Dawn movie? The answer that was developed was to create a unique narrative specifically set within the canon of the game – emphasized with the incorporation of a key character: Dr. Alan Hill, who is portrayed in both the game and the film by Peter Stormare. Gary Dauberman explained,
Horror fans and gamers alike will be able to see the result of this mad experiment this weekend, as Until Dawn arrives in theaters on Friday, April 25. If you’re curious about all of the other game adaptations on the way in the months ahead, you can check out our Upcoming Video Game Movies and TV guide, and if you’re specifically interested in getting some big time scares on the big screen, you should head over to our Upcoming Horror Movies calendar.
by admin | Apr 23, 2025 | Articles, Cinemablend Articles
We’re technically still early on in the 2025 movie schedule, with the summer coming our way pretty quickly. But through upcoming horror movies, and other genres that tend to feature death-based set-pieces, there’s always a potential for a moment that’s so gruesome it needs to be talked about endlesslly.
Thanks to a new Reddit discussion wholly dedicated to such moments, I feel comfortable saying there’s a clearly crowned champion that will still be turning stomachs for years to come.
I’m Sorry, But Terrifier 2’s Allie Kill Wins This Gruesome Movie Death Thread
Terrifier series’ most unspeakable acts. But that last caveat from our Redditor of the moment is what really hammers this home for me, since it technically shouldn’t count without Allie dying. But the sheer hope that she didn’t survive such a monstrous experience makes it viable.
If you’re up for an NSFW refresher, here’s that absolutely gruesome moment:
TERRIFIER 2 – Allie’s Death (Bedroom Scene) – YouTube
Watch On
Once poor helpless Allie started to be coated in bleach and salt, that’s where I had to voice my agreement to no one around that I also hope this Terrifier 2 character died as soon as the scene changed. So for me, that’s the most gruesome act in the movies mentioned.
But if you know me, and if you read that thread carefully, there’s one example that I couldn’t help but highlight from the history of the James Bond movies.
A Very Honorable Mention For Gruesome Movie Deaths Needs To Go To James Bond
When 1989’s 007 thriller Licence to Kill coined the tagline, “His bad side is a dangerous place to be,” that wasn’t just the marketing department being cute. Redditor @Prize_Farm4951 is speaking my language in this regard, because the second of Timothy Dalton’s James Bond duology let 007 go pretty hard on his adversaries. Here’s the list of some, but not all, of Commander Bond’s brutality in that picture:
Seeing this list fail to mention the ingenious kill that Bond executes when it comes to henchman Dario (Benicio del Toro) kind of proves this point even further. Director John Glen’s final 007 directing post saw the vicious helper of Franz Sanchez (Robert Davi) exit the world of the living through being fed into a cocaine grinder.
Here now is a prime example of what was too gruesome for PG-13, in 1989:
Licence to Kill (8/10) Movie CLIP – Dario Gets Shredded (1989) HD – YouTube
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Don’t worry if you may remember that Licence to Kill scene a little differently, as it’s one of the reasons why this James Bond picture needed to be trimmed. In order to avoid a more mature rating from various film classification boards, each of the moments mentioned above – and more – were altered. Some of those cuts were undone in later years, as home video releases would see the brutality added back in.
My point in including this example is that while the James Bond movies have provided examples of mainstream action at its best, there’s even a gruesome streak to that storied history. Does it trump Art the Clown’s treatment of Allie in Terrifier 2? Absolutely not.
But is it worth nothing the changing definitions of not only what’s considered “gruesome,” but also what’s allowed in a PG-13 movie? You bet. And with that lesson learned, we can all focus on 2025 films like Final Destination Bloodlines, which promises some gruesome fun ahead of its May 16th premiere.
by admin | Apr 23, 2025 | Articles, Cinemablend Articles
For better or worse, Ben Affleck is a movie star who, between his personal and professional life, is going to find his name in the headlines more often than not. These days, it’s the story of Ben Affleck’s divorce that usually has everybody talking. And yet, it’s a different member of Affleck’s family that people are focused on right now.
Last month, a clip went viral that showed Ben Affleck’s 13-year-old son looking to his dad to help him buy a $6,000 pair of Dior Air Force 1s. Affleck was not having it and recommended his kid get to work, earning the money. Speaking with Today, Affleck was asked about his response, and explained his desire to teach his kids that rewards come from work. He said:
from his marriage to Jennifer Garner) $6,000 shoes without a second thought, a position most of us are not in financially. He could feasibly give his kids whatever they wanted, but he understands that doing that teaches the wrong lessons. Affleck has spoken before about the problems that his own fame causes with his kids.
Affleck says his two older children, one of whom is currently in college, do have jobs, and thus are learning the importance of doing work and earning their own money. His son, with very expensive taste, however, is in the process of coming to terms with that concept, as he realizes he doesn’t have the things he wants, and will need to come up with his own way to get them. Affleck continued:
Ben Affleck suggests that even if his son worked to afford his $6,000 shoes, he might decide that he’d rather spend that money elsewhere. Certainly, dropping thousands of dollars of somebody else’s money on a cool pair of shoes doesn’t sound so bad, assuming they can afford it. But if a lot of us had an extra $6,000 kicking around, we could probably find a much better use for it.
We’ve probably heard the last of the tale of Ben Affleck’s kid’s shoes. The particular pair he wanted was a fairly limited creation, and there are enough people who can afford $6,000 shoes in the world that they’re probably already gone. Still, we’ll have to wait and see what sort of shoes he does end up with. Considering Affleck made the movie Air about the Nike Air Jordan, he can probably get a decent deal on some nice shoes.
by admin | Apr 18, 2025 | Articles, Cinemablend Articles
HBO’s Harry Potter series is off to the races. After months of casting rumors, some of Hogwarts’ core faculty and staff have been cast, and we know the series will be filmed at the same studio where the OG movies were made. However, now there’s a new rumor going around about this project, as it’s been claimed that Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint were not formally informed that this new series was happening.
Apparently, the first Harry, Ron and Hermione to grace our screens are being kept in the dark about this whole situation. In a report from The Daily Mail, it was alleged that Radcliffe, Watson and Grint were not informed that the remake was even happening before it was officially announced. According to an insider, that is “heartbreaking,” as they explained:
Harry Potter films. To this day, they are all frequently asked about it, and this franchise serves as the biggest moment in their careers.
According to this insider, when it comes to the next iteration of Harry Potter, the original cast members “are a mere afterthought.” Apparently, they have “no involvement” in what’s coming next, and this is a totally new chapter:
According to the report, once the Harry Potter team finishes auditioning thousands of kids and picks their new trio, the first Harry, Ron and Hermione will not be informed about it. It would seem that they will find out the same way everyone else will, through the public announcement.
It’s well known that the books’ author, J.K. Rowling, is involved in this new series. It’s also known that her views on women’s and trans rights have caused a lot of controversy. Over the years, the original Harry Potter cast has reacted to those views, and some, including Daniel Radcliffe, have spoken out against her.
Apparently, the author wants to fully move on from the movies, as the source claimed:
Overall, it would appear the trio does not have a say or knowledge about the upcoming series. However, they do get asked about it, and that will likely continue. Daniel Radcliffe has already been asked if he’d make a cameo, and as he continues to act and promote his work – and this goes for Watson, Grint, and the rest of the movies’ cast too – he’ll likely get questions about it again.
So, as the Harry Potter series chugs along, and the original cast continues working on their own projects, we’ll keep you posted about how this new venture into the Wizarding World and the original films collide (or don’t).
