Have you been waiting for the Hunger Games and Divergent films to hit basic cable? Well, that long wait will be over shortly since TNT nabbed the network TV rights to both Lionsgate franchises.
The network announced that deals will include all four films in each franchise. Like the Hunger Games series, the final book in Veronica Roth’s Divergent series will also be split into two films. The Hunger Games movies are based on Suzanne Collins’ novels.
The first Hunger Games film, which was released back in 2012, will begin airing on winter 2015. Last year’s Catching Fire will premiere in winter 2016. Mockingjay - Part 1, which opens in theaters this November, will premiere in 2017. Then, in 2018, Mockingjay - Part 2 will begin airing. At that point, TNT can do a full Hunger Games marathon, like they frequently do for the Lord of the Rings movies.
TNT will follow the same model for Divergent, beginning in 2016. The second film in that series, Insurgent, opens in March 2015.
"We're delighted to launch this partnership with TNT for two of our biggest global franchises," Jim Packer, Lionsgate President of Worldwide Television & Digital Distribution, said in a statement. "The agreement underscores the breadth and depth of our content portfolio and supplies TNT with blockbuster franchises that will resonate with their audiences for many years to come."
image of Jennifer Lawrence courtesy of Roger Wong/INFphoto.com