Whilst quivering with anticipation during the previews that played at the start of the new Sherlock Holmes movie, I was taken aback by how exciting the upcoming Hunger Games film looked. I had heard of the trilogy and it was on my reading list, but I knew nothing about the story. “Lord of the Flies” meets “1984” with the love triangle/teen angst of “Twilight” mixed in for fun? Where do I sign up?
Anyway, my interest was certainly piqued by the futuristic, dystopian Panem and the apparent heroine, Katniss Everdeen (is that even a real name?), so I bought the books. About 1200 pages and a week later, I’ve come up for air after racing through “The Hunger Games,” “Catching Fire,” and “Mockingjay.” I’m left foaming at the mouth with excitement for the first movie (which will hit theaters March 23, 2012), so I had to do a little detective work and find out more about its cast and production.
The filming took place primarily in North Carolina, in the heart of Appalachia (exactly where District 12 is located in the future country of Panem). This delighted me to find out, as I used to live in Asheville, North Carolina and knew all of the great restaurants the cast frequented. Heck, I’m practically chummy with them! So, together let’s stalk Katniss, played by Jennifer Lawrence, Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), Haymitch (Woody Harrelson), Gale (Liam Hemsworth), Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks) and the enigmatic Cinna (played by Lenny Kravitz, what a treat!) around the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina!
Pisgah National Forest Courtesy of Nolen.John
Filming started in Hildebran, down Henry River Road. I’d wager that they caught some outstanding hunting scenes in this lush area. Tucked in the hills, Hildebran stands in perfectly for the woods outside the fence of District 12, or even sections of the arena. South in Shelby, District 12 signage popped up on old warehouses. If you visit the outskirts of Shelby, you’ll see the forlorn, ramshackle barns and homes that flawlessly reflect the simplicity and old school architecture of District 12. The residents there were all buzzing with excitement about the upcoming movie and hoped to run into some big names from Hollywood.
In Charlotte, the set for the Capitol was described as “insanely awesome and huge” and scenes were also shot at the Knight Theater. There were rumors of Lenny Kravitz hanging out in Cabo Fish Taco and Woody Harrelson frequenting Boudreaux’s Louisiana Kitchen, both in downtown Charlotte. The Charlotte Convention Center supposedly closed off its basement for some pre-arena scenes (launch pad, perhaps?).
Charlotte, NC, or the Capitol?
The North Fork Reservoir was the site where the production team allegedly procured permits to do some pyrotechnic sequences, (we have to assume this is either in the arena or possibly a flashback to a certain mining mishap in District 12). Small areas of the Pisgah National Forest were okay-ed for filming certain arena scenes as well. The old Philip Morris plant in Concord was supposedly used in shooting, for what? Your guess is as good as mine, the training center in the Capitol, perhaps?
In downtown Asheville, where the cast stayed for much of the filming, you can check out all of the spots the tributes and other cast members loved. Woody Harrelson apparently digs the Laughing Seed Café, a fully vegetarian, locally sourced spot that serves up amazing bean enchiladas. The younger tributes loved the sushi at Wasabi and the wings at the Bier Garden, both in trendy downtown.
Gorgeous sushi in Asheville, Courtesy of moonlightbulb
While I wish I had been there to rub elbows with movie stars, I wouldn’t have been able to appreciate how exciting this film is going to be for fans of the trilogy. Now I understand. Have the Hunger Games caught your interest yet? Pick up/download these insanely entertaining and riveting books soon, so you can get on board with the mounting Hunger Games-mania!
When you go sniffing down the tribute trail in North Carolina, check out the 3, 4 and 5 star hotels in Asheville and hotels in Charlotte we offer at ExcellentHotels.com.
Title photo courtesy of emilyonasunday and Flickr Creative Commons
