As the Hunger Games sequel Catching Fire gets closer to release (well sort of; it’s still months away) director Francis Lawrence and the Lionsgate team are releasing some of the first completed images. Check out some new pics in the gallery below, courtesy of EW.

The pictures include a first look at Philip Seymour Hoffman as gamesmaker Plutarch Heavensbee, one of the new characters to show up in the film. If you’re still unaware of the plot, the follow-up, taken from Suzanne Collins’ sequel, finds Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) on a “victory” tour of the Districts following their success in the recent Games.

But with revolt spreading through the Districts, the devious President Snow (Donald Sutherland) has decided to throw the new heroes back in the arena with some other veterans, which will be their biggest challenge yet.

Of course, squeezing the book’s story down into a screenplay has led to some changes and deletions, including District 8 runaways Bonnie and Twill, who alert Katniss to the rebellion she has started. While she will still learn of the bubbling revolution, we won’t see either of the kids or Darius, the young District 12 peacekeeper who suffers a terrible punishment for intervening when Gale (Liam Hemsworth) is flogged.

“It’s as agonising for us to lose things from the book as it is for a fan,” says producer Nina Jacobson. “I want every single thing in there. But you know what? If you have to give up something in order to give more time to Katniss and Gale or to Effie as she starts to feel a conscience, you make the sacrifices in order to serve the characters and themes that are more essential.”

But to see what else might have been taken out, you’ll have to wait until Catching Fire arrives on November 22.