Lionsgate has released the first trailer for director Francis Lawrence‘s (Water for Elephants) sequel, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. The darkness and melancholy of the first film has only intensified, but this trailer only tells half the story. We’re shown the victors’ tour, and how President Snow (Donald Sutherland) is trying to tear down the hope-inspiring image of Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) before killing her. Only at the end of the trailer, do we hear about the second part of the story, which is the “Quarter Quell”, a special Hunger Games where past winners will be forced to fight to the death. I assume they left this out because it’s the more effects-heavy part of the story, and that footage is moving through post-production.

The film also stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Sam Claflin, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jena Malone, Jeffrey Wright, and Amanda Plummer. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire opens on November 22nd in IMAX and traditional theaters.

Via Lionsgate. In addition, if you missed the new images, or the cool Hunger Games CinemaCon display, click the links.

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Here’s the official synopsis for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire: