There are so many reasons to be excited about the upcoming big-screen adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ novel The Hunger Games, which will hit theaters March 23, 2012. Whether you have read all three novels in this trilogy, or you’ve never even heard of them before, this movie is going to be one you don’t want to miss. The screenplay was written by Collins herself, along with Billy Ray and director Gary Ross. Then you have to take a look at the stellar cast they have assembled to bring these great characters to life. With all these factors combined, this just may turn out to be the movie event of the year.
The novel The Hunger Games was released in 2008 to critical-acclaim, quickly making it a much talked about best-seller. Author Suzanne Collins was able to give a picture perfect vision of a futuristic society that is anything but utopia. She also has a gift for character writing, giving each and every person their own unique voice. After reading the first chapter, I knew this could become such an exciting movie some day, and that day is coming up fast.
To adapt the novel into a screenplay, Collins teamed up with Billy Ray and Gary Ross. While neither of these are household names, both of their work speaks for itself. Ray has written such films as State of Play and Shattered Glass , which both deal with human emotion at the heart of the stories. Gary Ross’ writing credits include favorites Big and Dave . I’m sure these three writers were able to get the human emotion in this story across to the viewer, which may have been missed in the hands of someone else.
This film is also directed by Gary Ross, whom has been very selective through his career and only directed a couple of films thus far. The last movie he directed was Seabiscuit , which was also adapted from a best-selling novel. Before that, he made the quirky classic Pleasantville . That’s it. The Hunger Games will be the third film directed by this man who clearly has a certain knack for telling a story in a very emotional way.
A young cast makes up the basis for this teenage saga, but it is surrounded by veterans such as Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci and Elizabeth Banks. For the lead role, Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone) was chosen, supported by Josh Hutcherson (Bridge to Terabithia) and Liam Hemsworth. With a good mixture of old and young talent, the performances are sure to be memorable.
If you are not the type that makes it to the theater very often, this just may be a time to make and exception, splurge on the popcorn and hang on for the ride.