As the Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean and Twilight franchises have started to come to a close, Hollywood studios are looking for the next big series that can appeal to all audiences. Lionsgate is betting big on Suzanne Collins’ best-selling young adult trilogy The Hunger Games, about a post-apocalyptic America that pits teenagers from its twelve districts against one other in a gladiator-style death match. The official trailer for the first installment has just hit the web. Directed by Gary Ross, the film stars Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, Josh Hutcherson and… is that Lenny Kravitz?

The movie opens in March 2012, but if you can’t wait, the books are a very quick and entertaining read, perfect for holiday travel.

Sony has been turning up the shock marketing for “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”, David Fincher’s adaptation of the best selling book by late author Stieg Larsson. First a “mysterious” trailer “leaked” online that the studio claimed had been filmed illegally in a European theater. The gritty, fast-paced cut set to a Trent Reznor and Karon O cover of Led Zeppelin’s Immigrant Song had the whole web’s attention.

But the trailer, now removed from Youtube and available on the film’s website, left up-and-comer Rooney Mara’s transformation to anti-heroine Lisbeth Salander somewhat to the imagination. Sony has now released a poster that reveals more of the character than we might have expected. You even have to verify your age to view it on the Sony website. If you have seen the original Swedish version of “Dragon Tattoo” starring Noomi Rapace, Mara has some big shoes to fill, but this is definitely a step in the right direction.

We can’t wait for this to hit theaters in December. It looks to be a lot more “Se7en” than “Social Network”, but you never know, it could be the one that finds Fincher the Oscar he’s looking for.