Lionsgate has confirmed release dates for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay. Yes, I said realease dates. The final book in The Hunger Games franchise will be split into two films. Part 1 will be released on November 21, 2014, with Part 2 hitting theatres on November 20, 2015.

It seems Warner Brothers started a trend when they split the final Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows into two films. Summit followed suit with Twilight: Breaking Dawn, splitting that book, also the final in the series, into two films. Now Lionsgate is making the money grab as well.

When Potter was split it didn’t bother me. Yes, I thought it was a way to milk the franchise, but also, the source material was over 600 pages and two films gave filmmakers the ability to adapt the novel without excising too much.

I haven’t read Breaking Dawn, so I can’t comment on it’s length, or whether there’s enough story to warrant two films. I have read Mockingjay, however, and, at 500 pages, it’s not very long. There is a good story there, so I guess you can squeeze two movies out of it but it’s going to take some stretching.

Of course, as long as the films are good, no one will care.

SOURCE: Deadline