Hunger Games: Catching Fire: Where Are We Now With Katniss Everdeen, Peeta Mellark, Gale Hawthorne and More!

Find out where we left off with the characters following the first installment

By Jordana Ossad Nov 21, 2013 9:08 PMTags
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If you're anxiously anticipating the release of Catching Fire, in theaters on Friday, Nov. 22, you are not alone, tributes.

But before we re-visit the nation of Panem and join the world of 12 unique districts, as well the powerful Capitol, there's a lot to re-hash from The Hunger Games. Let's recap where we left off at the end of Suzanne Collins' young adult novel film adaptation, and what we can expect from Catching Fire.

And a fair warning, spoilers are ahead so if you don't want to know the outcome of the first book, stop reading!

It was an exciting finale to the 74th Annual Hunger Games as District 12 tributes Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) were both declared winners, a first-time event in the history of the games. The competition is between 24 contestants, also known as tributes, selected at random from the 12 districts during the "reaping" ceremonies. Katniss took her sister, Primrose Everdeen's (Willow Shields) spot. Remember when Katniss famously yelled "Prim, Prim! I volunteeer as tribute!" Of course you do.

Let's take a step back to find out how they won, because it wasn't without controversy and severe consequences. In the middle of the Capitol-controlled battle in the intricate arena, a rule was read that if both tributes from the same district survived the games, they would both be victorious. So, when our favorite heroine and her "love" interest (they did share a sweet kiss!) killed off the last remaining tribute—Cato from District 2—the rule was immediately (and unfairly) revoked. Unable to kill each other and fight to the death, Katniss hatched a brilliant plan that they both eat poisonous berries, also known as "nightlock." But, of course, somebody has to win, so as the duo raised the fatal fruit to their lips in an extremely tense moment, they were both declared the winners.

This daring move by Katniss leads to a warning from former District 12 winner and her mentor, Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson), that her actions will have severe consequences for her, her loved ones and all of the districts. Unless, of course, she says she acted out of love for her fellow tribute. But this is a dicey situation for our heroine, who let's not forget has hunting partner/flirty friend Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth) back home.

And, even though Haymitch drinks from the bottle a little too much, he correctly predicts their rebellious act of breaking the game rules will spell out problems in the very near future. Case in point: evil President Snow (Donald Sutherland) will have his vengeance. The last scene of the film shows the icy tyrannical leader of Panem monitoring Katniss and Peeta as their home cheers for them.

And that's where Hunger Games ends and Catching Fire begins. What is in store for the second installment of the trilogy?

The "Victory Tour," in which Katniss and Peeta visit all of the districts, will no doubt shed light on the rebellions they have sparked within the districts by defying the powerful Capitol. President Snow is not done with these two yet and hatches an evil plan for the 75th Hunger Games, also known as the "Quarter Quell."

Some 24 victors from previous years will be forced to compete once again and since there are no female victors besides Katniss from District 12, she is forced back into the arena. Even though Haymitch is selected during the reaping, Peeta takes his spot in the bloody battle to the death. So, who are the tributes from the competing districts? We meet the very handsome District 4 victor Finnick Odair (Sam Claflin) as well as sarcastic District 7 victor Johanna Mason (Jena Malone), to name a few. The always quirky District 12 chaperone Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks) is back as well as Katniss' stylist Cinna (Lenny Kravitz).

Will Katniss and Peeta inspire a full-blown revolution? Is there a real romantic future between the District 12 tributes? What about Katniss' relationship with Gale? And who will be victorious in the Quarter Quell?

We will have to wait and see!  Are you excited for Catching Fire? Sound off in the comments!