Josh Hutcherson

New character posters for “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” are out, heralding the return of victors Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), as well as revealing a glimpse of some new and returning characters. “Catching Fire” is the second installment in a planned quartet of films based on the bestselling young adult book trilogy by Suzanne Collins; the third book, “Mockingjay,” will be split into two movies. The story follows heroine Katniss, a teenager forced to fight other starving children in a televised battle to the death for the enjoyment of wealthy spectators in Panem, a post-apocalyptic version of North America. The first film in the franchise — last March’s “The Hunger Games” — earned more than $686 million at the worldwide box office. The second book picks up after Katniss’ victory, when a twist of fate (or, […]

Josh Hutcherson thinks he’s in Dallas, though all he’s seen is an airport, a hotel and a mall. It’s 16 days before the opening of “The Hunger Games,” and though the 19-year-old actor has been performing since he was 9 — in films as diverse as “American Splendor,” “Journey to the Center of the Earth” and “The Kids are All Right” — the reaction to co-starring in the adaptation of the Suzanne Collins novel is unlike anything he’s ever experienced. It’s also the first cross-country mall tour the young actor has jumped aboard, hence the reason for his location confusion. In the last week, the actor has been in giant shopping centers in Chicago, Minneapolis, Seattle and Dallas, signing posters and books for throngs of screaming fans who have shown up to get a glimpse of the young man playing […]