Sam Claflin

The splitting of the conclusions of recent fantasy or sci-fi franchises into two parts (or more – looking at you, Peter Jackson) has been financially successful for Hollywood studios, but less so creatively. Only arguable trendsetter Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I proved a satisfying film in its own right by being so rich in character interplay and having an actual sense of progression. Mockingjay – Part I is heavy on character beats, but they are repetitive ones due to its limited scope through withholding all the big stuff until Part 2.

With I Am Legend and Constantine in his filmography, two not entirely successful features but both ones with impressive sequences here and there, director Francis Lawrence would seem an adequate fit for a populist sci-fi or fantasy franchise instalment.

Snow White and the Huntsman Written by Evan Daugherty, John Lee Hancock and Hossein Amini Directed by Rupert Sanders USA, 2012 The more – pardon the pun – grim of 2012’s two adaptations of the Grimm brothers’ classic tale isn’t quite as dark a revisionist reworking of the Snow White story as some in other …