Gary Ross In Lionsgate Cross-Hairs For Coveted ‘Hunger Games’ Assignment
EXCLUSIVE: Gary Ross is in early talks to direct The Hunger Games, the first installment of the novel trilogy by Suzanne Collins. The film is a joint production between Lionsgate and Color Force’s Nina Jacobson. Filming will start next year with a script by Billy Ray, who rewrote a draft by the author. The huge sales of the trilogy make the film adaptations a potential game-changer for Lionsgate, the way that Twilight was for Summit Entertainment. It has been a coveted job among directors (Three More Directors Circle ‘The Hunger Games’), and Lionsgate picture chief Joe Drake and Jacobson spent the past two weeks meeting candidates that included Sam Mendes, David Slade (also a contender for the X-Men Origins: Wolverine 2 job), Andrew Adamson, Rupert Sanders, and Nanny McPhee Returns helmer Susanna White. There was also talk about Francis Lawrence. It’s unclear who stayed in or out as Lionsgate focused on Ross, who directed Pleasantville and Seabiscuit. He isn’t set yet, but he is the choice. Let the negotiating games begin. Mendes, for instance, bowed out of contention last Friday, and I’m told it was because the MGM picture is clearing up and it looks like production on 007 could begin by late summer or early fall, 2011 with Mendes at the helm and Daniel Craig back in the Aston Martin.
The Hunger Games takes place in the futuristic ruins of North America, which crumbled and was replaced by a Capitol and 12 districts. Each district is forced to supply 2 teenagers, between 12 and 18. They participate in The Hunger Games, a televised reality series that pits the contestants against one another in a battle to the death. The heroine is 16-year old Katniss Everdeen, a skilled hunter who’s adept with a bow and arrow. She replaces her younger sister, who was chosen in a lottery. She is joined by a baker’s son who is also chosen from her dirt poor home district. The subject matter is dark, but book has become a juggernaut: the final installment, Mockingjay, has sold over 450,000 since being published August 24 by Scholastic.
Lionsgate may have gotten it right for once…
Mockingjay (the third installment) sold 450,000 copies in its first week of release. In comparison, Eclipse (the third Twilight book) sold 250,000 in its first week.
I’m glad Lionsgate is following Summit’s lead (Bill Condon doing Twilight 4&5) by hiring a writer/director to guide their franchise.
450,000 sold? How does that compare to Twilight?
It may not compare in sales, but it far exceeds twilight in quality storytelling.
AMEN PHIL!!
The sales will definitely continue to rise. Hot Topic is already selling The Hunger Games Memorabilia. I absolutely loved Twilight but feel the Hunger Games is so much better. I just hope this film doesn’t turn out like Twilight.
Good choice. Now how bout Malese Jow as Katniss?
Malese is too old
the plot sounds like some American rip-off of the Japanese ‘Battle Royale’. how original..
but Gary Ross is great so I am gonna watch this for him anyway.
And Battle Royale wasn’t an obvious melange of King’s “The Long Walk” the film version of “The Running Man”, Golding’s “Lord of the Flies” and Connell’s “Most Dangerous Game”???
Like the wise guy once said “the only new things in the world are the history you didn’t know about”
maybe (just maybe) the Japs borrowed ELEMENTS from those pieces but never ripped them off shamelessly entierly. they have their own things you now. manga, anime. they are the last creative community on Earth to rip off Western stuff. and Running Man? please. I am sure you could have came up something better than that.
Kabbe, I take it you haven’t read the book. Beyond the initial ‘kids in a death match’ premise, it’s nothing like Battle Royale.
Um… Peter Watkins’ PUNISHMENT PARK. Same thing.
Kabbe, you already admitted in your first comment that you haven’t read The Hunger Games and are basing your opinion off Mike’s synopsis. And yet now you’re adamant that The Hunger Games ripped off Battle Royale “shamelessly entirely” whereas Battle Royale only ripped off “elements” of its sources. Not only are you splitting hairs, but by your own admission you don’t know what you’re talking about.
And you just slated a book you haven’t read for “shamelessly” and “entirely” ripping something else off. Really.
Nothing is original anymore, nor is originality why stories are told. All archetypes have been written before. The matter is how they’re written.
It’s been said that the main influences for The Hunger Games were watching reality TV and coverage of the war in Iraq, seeing the two programs “blur” together. The most significant literary influence that the author has listed is the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, which Battle Royale ripped off as well.
Well said.
That’s exactly what it is…
It is taught in high school/college English classes that there are only a certain small number of story lines and everything else is just a variation of one of those story lines. I’m sure if you look back, you’ll find some sort of variation to all of the above throughout history.
Have you ever read it?
So many people say that as the snark remark of choice for criticize something they haven’t even read.
The books and the japanesse movie are really different. Trust someone who actually has taken the time to know both.
Yeah… usually Americans rip off everyone, the french, the Japanese and the others…
Just finished Mockingjay, so amazing!
I would fully support a Gary Ross choice. Gary FTW!
Really hope he and they seriously consider unknown’s for Katniss and Peeta and Gale. As a die hard fan I do not want to associate any other past known movies or tv shows with the chosen actors.
“As a die hard fan I do not want to associate any other past known movies or tv shows with the chosen actors.”
Wouldn’t that be the fault of your own lack of imagination?
Actors should work as much and as hard as they can. With your logic, an actor would only be able to play a role once or twice.
I hope Jennifer Lawrence plays the lead.
My niece is obsessed. Bring out the merchandise please. Easy gifts!