It’s been ten years since Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence blasted off into one of the most talked-about space dramas in Hollywood history, and the conversation is officially heating up all over again.
Passengers, the sci-fi blockbuster that paired two of the world’s biggest stars for an interstellar romance, is officially landing a new streaming home on Hulu starting February .
The move comes at a fascinating time for both A-listers. Pratt is currently weathering a storm with his latest sci-fi flick Mercy, co-starring Rebecca Ferguson, which has faced a “drubbing” from critics and a rocky start at the box office.
Meanwhile, Lawrence is coming off the release of her psychological drama Die My Love. While the film garnered artistic praise, its modest $ million box office run has fans eager to see the Oscar winner back in a massive commercial hit.
For those who need a refresher on why Passengers originally broke the internet, the film follows two colonists on a -year journey to a new planet. The drama begins when Pratt’s character, Jim, accidentally wakes up from cryo-sleep years too early.
Facing a lifetime of isolation, Jim makes the polarizing choice to manually awaken Lawrence’s character, Aurora. By doing so, he effectively sentences her to live out her life and die aboard the ship before reaching their destination.
The “non-consensual” nature of that decision sparked a firestorm on X (then Twitter) and TikTok that hasn’t quite died down. Critics at the time were quick to point out the ethical “ick” factor of the plot.
The film currently holds a % score on Rotten Tomatoes, with a consensus that reads: “Passengers proves Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence work well together — and that even their chemistry isn’t enough to overcome a fatally flawed story.”
Retrospective reviews haven’t been much kinder to the “White Knight” narrative. Writing for Collider, Jeffrey Speicher noted that the film’s premise feels “overtly sexist and retrograde,” suggesting such storylines “aren’t going to be viewed favorably” in the modern era.
Despite the controversy, there’s no denying the star power involved. The film was directed by Academy Award nominee Morten Tyldum and written by Jon Spaihts—who has since gone on to pen the massive Dune trilogy.
Even with its “fatally flawed” plot, Passengers was a certified box office winner, raking in over $ million globally against a $ million budget. It seems audiences in couldn’t look away from the Pratt-Lawrence pairing, and Hulu is betting that viewers won’t be able to either.
Whether you view it as a high-stakes romance or a space-bound thriller with a creepy twist, you can judge for yourself when the film begins streaming later this month.
Are you team “it’s just a movie” or team “he should have stayed alone”? The debate officially resumes on February .
Jennifer Lawrence And Josh Hutcherson Are Returning To The Hunger Games Universe
The rumors are true, and months of denials have officially aged like milk. Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson are reportedly returning to the world of Panem, reprising their iconic roles as Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark in Lionsgate’s highly anticipated prequel, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.
At first, the idea seemed impossible. The new film takes place decades before Katniss ever volunteered for the Hunger Games, making the return of Lawrence and Hutcherson appear unlikely. However, the filmmakers have reportedly found a clever way to bring the beloved characters back without disrupting the timeline of the original trilogy.
The key is a framing device reportedly taken from Suzanne Collins’ latest novel. The story is expected to feature an older Katniss and Peeta spending time with Haymitch Abernathy as he tells them about the horrifying experience he endured during his own Hunger Games. This approach gives fans an opportunity to see the original characters again while allowing the prequel to remain focused on Haymitch’s story.
The revelation is especially amusing considering Josh Hutcherson’s recent comments about the project. For months, the actor insisted that he knew nothing about the upcoming film and emphasized how much he still loved the franchise. In Hollywood, however, such denials can often mean that a carefully worded confidentiality agreement is keeping the truth under wraps. Fans now have plenty of reason to laugh at those earlier statements.
Sunrise on the Reaping centers on the 50th Hunger Games, known as the Second Quarter Quell. This particular Games was designed to be especially brutal, with twice the usual number of tributes being sent into the arena. The story follows a young Haymitch as he struggles to survive one of the most devastating and psychologically intense Games in Panem’s history.
Bringing Katniss and Peeta into the story through a framing sequence could create an emotional connection between Haymitch’s past and the characters fans have followed since the beginning of the franchise. It also gives Lawrence and Hutcherson a chance to return without changing the events established in the original films.
Fans have already taken to social media to celebrate the reported reunion, with many joking about how successfully the actors managed to keep the secret. The combination of familiar stars, Suzanne Collins’ source material, and director Francis Lawrence returning has created enormous anticipation.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is scheduled to arrive in theaters on November 20, 2026. Whether Katniss and Peeta appear only briefly or play a more meaningful role remains unclear, but their return could make this new chapter one of the franchise’s biggest cinematic events yet.
Be the first to comment on this article!