22. While he was initially attached to direct the sequel, Gary Ross exited the franchise in April 2012, citing the compact schedule as a deciding factor.
“As a writer and a director, I simply don’t have the time I need to write and prep the movie I would have wanted to make because of the fixed and tight production schedule,” he said in a statement. Francis Lawrence would be hired to direct the rest of the films.
23. Lawrence’s real nephews had small but pivotal roles in the final film’s epilogue.
“They played my children in the scene that we shot so it was an amazing closure to this character that I’ve loved for so many years to have my family there, my blood family, I got to say good-bye to both,” the star told Vanity Fair.Â
24. Lawrence earned a spot on the Billboard Hot 100 with her performance of “The Hanging Tree” in MockingjayâPart 1.
25. Taylor Swift co-wrote two songs, “Safe & Sound” and “Eyes Open,” for the films, and the superstar told Rolling Stone, “It’s pretty intense writing about my own life, my own struggles. It was almost like a vacation to get to write from someone else’s perspective.”
