Updated at 2:33pm PST
A deleted scene from “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1” was released by Lionsgate on Monday after fans nearly went crazy trying to find it.
In the scene, President Snow (Donald Sutherland) brings his captive Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) to his sitting room in The Capital. Once there, Snow commends the young Hunger Games winner for his efforts to quash the rebellion Katniss Everdeen is leading. Snow tells him, “You know the difference between reality and destructive adolescent fantasies.”
The release of the scene came after a massive online scavenger hunt organized by Lionsgate and Sizmek, which involved followers watching a message from President Snow on the official “Hunger Games” Facebook page that was interrupted by a series of binary codes. It coincided with the release of “Mockingjay-Part 1” on Tuesday.
Fans then had to translate the codes, which provided URLs to several websites prompting them to promote the hashtag #UnlockMockingjay.
All their hard work paid off when they got to see the unseen footage, which shows Peeta tell Snow that he simply does not want to see any more bloodshed and that most of the violence is being carried out by the government.
Snow maintains his cool and tells his captive that he needs him to serve as a symbol for the people in order to avoid a civil war. When Peeta asks, “So you’re asking me to be what, sir? Your voice of reason?” Snow responds coldly: “You’ve understood everything but one small detail. I’m not asking.”
The hashtag started trending almost immediately, and only a few hours later the scene “leaked” on Tumblr.
President Snow threatens Peeta in an EXCLUSIVE deleted scene from #Mockingjay Part 1 – on Digital HD TOMORROW! https://t.co/nFTZTjyMZA
— Mockingjay – Part 1 (@TheHungerGames) February 16, 2015