The Hunger Games: Everything We Know

The lowdown on The Next Harry Potter

By George WalesNov 1st 2011
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The books were a publishing sensation

Back in 2008, publishing houses the world over were looking high and low for that most elusive of properties, The Next Harry Potter. With Deathly Hallows having brought the boy wizard’s journey to a close (on the page anyway) the previous summer, there was a vacuum to be filled in the fantasy fiction market, and the time was right for the launch of a new franchise ostensibly aimed at young adults.

Enter Suzanne Collins, and her post-apocalyptic drama The Hunger Games. Set in an alternate future in the fictional country of Panem (a realm created amid the ruins of what used to be America), the book tells the story of sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdean, one of a group of teenage combatants in a state-organised, televised fight to the death. When civilisation crumbles, it would seem that broadcasting standards will be a thing of the past…

Released to widespread critical acclaim, The Hunger Games ended up on numerous “book of the year” lists, and has gone on to sell by the truckload. It was translated into 26 different languages and has been sold in 38 different countries, scooping various publishing awards along the way. Factor in the key detail that it was the first book in a trilogy, and it becomes clear why the Hunger Games saga was so ripe a prospect for a big screen makeover.

So when it was announced that Lionsgate had picked up the rights to the trilogy in 2009, few eyebrows were raised either in Hollywood or the world of publishing. The project was immediately boosted by the news that Collins herself would be adapting the script, and it wasn’t long before an Oscar-nominated writer/director was officially unveiled…

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    • stephensocks

      Nov 1st 2011, 16:12

      I was hoping that the films would be split up - maybe randomly cutting through books two and three. Unlike Harry Potter, each book isn't a year of school, the whole affair is less than two years and pretty much non-stop (barring all those intermittent periods in which Katniss on the mend and holed up in various places). I can't think of where they would cut up the books but I always thought the end of the first book was a wee bit lacklustre. If I hadn't read the books back-to-back and not had to wait over a year for book two, I'd have been a little p********f, so hopefully the end of the first film will place somewhere else. I am definitely in the 99% that disliked the trailer as well. On top of not much going on, I got a sickly Twilight vibe (no, not just because there's trees). It felt far too tame. And that's why I don't like the PG13 rating either. Sure the books are aimed at young adults (12+ I guess) but part of the atrocity of the story and message is a lot of its grim events and I reckon that has to be in the films as well and not just alluded to. Though, with the BBFC's recent ratings and some of the things that people get away with in 12A's and the such, this worry may be moot anyway. Don't get me wrong, I have a lot of faith in this, I just wish that trailer had been better and Ross wasn't trying to put out fires everywhere by smoothing over his 'PG13' statements. May the odds ever be in this film's favour.

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    • stephensocks

      Nov 1st 2011, 16:33

      Ugh. Sorry for looking like I'm spamming the place up.. I didn't realize the comment would be squashed into one big messy paragraph..

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    • JohnNorris

      Nov 4th 2011, 12:03

      The third book is called "Mockingjay" not "Mockingbird" Please correct.

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