Last month, we offered a few thoughts on the casting, thus far, for the screen adaptation of the second prequel to the Hunger Games Trilogy. 
The film, scheduled for release in the fall of 2026, will undoubtedly send the Hollywood Gamemakers into fits of giddy joy as they get ready to market trademarked items like replica Maysilee necklaces and reproduction flint-strikers (having some limited proficiency with flint and steel myself, I really hope that any such nonsense is non-functional, for the safety of the large portion of the public that has not lived, even briefly, in an earlier time period). However, despite being a dyed-in-the-wool Appalachian fatalist like so many of our District 12 characters, I do hope there will be some positive outcomes from the film. My initial reaction to the first casting announcement was not terribly enthusiastic. Aussie Haymitch is not impressing me yet. I saw a recent interview, trying to imagine that voice possibly sounding like it came from Harlan County, KY. He stressed how the search for Haymitch ranged all over, but I can say pretty definitely that nobody came to my holler to find Haymitch (and I had him handy, in one of my classes, Poe fascination and all). I will reserve further judgement until I see the actual film.
Additional casting announcements, however, have been interesting, and some, downright encouraging. Join me after the jump for thoughts on the “double” choices that we have so far.
existing park areas already have Harry Potter sections, the new Wizarding World at Epic Universe is its own dedicated trip into the universe of the Wizarding World. The tentpole attraction, for now, anyway, is the Battle of the Ministry, an adventure involving Dolores Umbridge’s escape on the day of her trial and her attempt, via Time-Turner, to change the past, but there is much more to the Wizarding World area.
film deal is already cemented, and speculation is hot regarding casting and other decisions. But, readers and investors alike are already asking “will she or won’t she” regarding additional books. Earlier this week, our esteemed headmaster, John Granger, 
Those hopes have not been disappointed. In the coming weeks, with re-reads, I’ll be posting more thoughts from my scrappy district, home of rascals and jackasses alike. For my thoughts after a first read, I thought we’d focus on one of my favorite motifs from the original trilogy: plants, particularly those native to Appalachia, both now and in the distant dark future of Panem. Botanicals, both literal and symbolic, crop up all over the novel, and they are a particular favorite of mine, as I research and present historical programs on medicinal plants in particular. So let’s take a tiptoe through the garden. Beware: spoilers abound, so, if you haven’t finished your own first read, wait outside the gate.
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