The Hunger Games trailer is here, and...

There’s an awful lot riding on this film. The plan is to adapt the trilogy as a 4 film series, but of course you have to get the first one right or you might not make enough money / interest to get to a second film, let alone to four.

The cast of tributes...

Rising young stars Jennifer Lawrence (X-Men: first Class, Winter’s Bone). Josh Hutcherson (The Kids are All Right, Journey to the Centre of The Earth) and Liam Hemsworth (The Last Song, The Expendables 2) take centre stage and are joined by old hands like Woody Harrelson and Donald Sutherland.

X-Men: First Class review.

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. Dwayne Johnson & Michael Cain join the fun in this sequel to the 3D hit, Journey to the Centre of the Earth...

The Expendables 2: Liam Hemsworth joins the cast...

Synopsis...

“Every year in the ruins of what was once North America, the evil Capitol of the nation of Panem forces each of its twelve districts to send a teenage boy and girl to compete in the Hunger Games. A twisted punishment for a past uprising and an ongoing government intimidation tactic, The Hunger Games are a nationally televised event in which "Tributes" must fight with one another until one survivor remains. Pitted against highly-trained Tributes who have prepared for these Games their entire lives, Katniss is forced to rely upon her sharp instincts as well as the mentorship of drunken former victor Haymitch Abernathy. If she's ever to return home to District 12, Katniss must make impossible choices in the arena that weigh survival against humanity and life against love. THE HUNGER GAMES is directed by Gary Ross, and produced by Nina Jacobson's Color Force in tandem with producer Jon Kilik. Suzanne Collins' best-selling novel, the first in a trilogy published by Scholastic that has over 16 million copies in print in the United States alone, has developed a massive global following.”

As a fan of books (1^st is the best) I think the trailer is perfect. It does what so many trailers of adaptations fail to do, explain the story and what is going on for those who have no idea what the books are about. At the same time it has plenty of moments for us fans to get excited about too. Sure it still feels a little like Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth are playing the wrong characters, but I have fait in both (Hutcherson in particular is a fine actor) and Jennifer Lawrence is perfectly cast (if perhaps a teeny bit on the old side.)

Cast... Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland, Wes Bentley, Toby Jones, Amandla Stenberg, Alexander Ludwig, Isabelle Fuhrman, Jacqueline Emerson, Paula Malcomson, Dayo Okeniyi, Jack Quaid, Leven Rambin, Willow Shields and Lenny Kravitz.