'The Hunger Games' live adaptation coming to London in 2024
Suzanne Collins's best-selling novel, The Hunger Games, is set to debut as a live stage adaptation in London next year, Variety reported. The first book in Collins's series—which served as the source material for the eponymous 2012 film fronted by Jennifer Lawrence—has been adapted for the theater by Olivier Award-winning playwright Conor McPherson. The production will be directed by Matthew Dunster (2:22—A Ghost Story).
Why does this story matter?
The original Hunger Games novel was published in 2008. This groundbreaking series comprises four books, the first three forming a trilogy that revolves around the teenage protagonist, Katniss Everdeen. The titles of the trilogy are The Hunger Games (2008), Catching Fire (2009), and Mockingjay (2010). Each of these novels underwent successful adaptations into cinematic productions, collectively achieving a remarkable global box office revenue of nearly $3B, underscoring their immense popularity and impact.
Live-stage adaptation will draw inspiration from Collins's first book
Set in the dystopian world of Panem, the heart of The Hunger Games lies in the annual event where 24 young tributes from 12 districts are chosen by a lottery to partake in a mandatory televised battle royale known as the Hunger Games. The narrative unfolds as Katniss—a character immortalized by Lawrence in the film franchise—selflessly volunteers to take her younger sister's place. By doing so, she emerges as a potent symbol of resistance.
'The Hunger Games' film franchise continues to expand with prequel
The stage adaptation is the most recent project inspired by the popular novel series. Notably, Collins wrote a prequel titled The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, released in 2020. This prequel has been adapted into a film slated to be released on November 17. The story within The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes explores the journey of Lucy Gray Baird—who holds the distinction of being the first tribute from District 12 to survive the brutal Hunger Games.
More about 'The Hunger Games' film adaptation
Collins adapted the first novel for the big screen, collaborating with director Gary Ross. The cast for the film included Lawrence portraying Katniss, Josh Hutcherson as Peeta, and Liam Hemsworth as Gale. The first installment made its debut in 2012. For Catching Fire, the directorial reins were passed to Francis Lawrence, and the film hit theaters in 2013. Lawrence continued to direct the final two installments based on Mockingjay, which were released in 2014 and 2015, respectively.
