Gary Ross, who hasn’t directed a feature since 2003′s Academy Award-nominated Seabiscuit, is in early negotiations to helm The Hunger Games, confirms a source at Lionsgate, the studio behind the film. The news was first reported late last night by Deadline.com. The job is a coveted one, considering the popularity of The Hunger Games trilogy from writer Suzanne Collins. Her third and final book of the trilogy Mockingjay debuted last month at No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list.
The series, while much more violent than Twilight, could rouse that fan base, considering it’s centered on a female protagonist and features a compelling love triangle. This, however, is no faint-hearted romance. The Hunger Games centers on protagonist Katniss Everdeen, a 16-year old girl living in a post-apocalyptic world where children annually compete to the death in a vicious arena game. Everdeen, the main food provider for her mother and sister, is thrust into the ring after her sister’s name is called randomly to compete and Katniss volunteers to take her place. The books are incredibly engaging, but it will be challenging to depict this violent world without making the films R-rated — a rating I assume the studio will shy away from, considering their target teen audience.
Ross is an interesting choice for the directing job. His two directing credits are Seabiscuit and 1998′s Pleasantville, though he’s written and produced a number of films including 1990 hits Big and Dave, and 2008′s animated flick The Tale of Despereaux. Deadline has reported that the producers looked at a number of directors, including Sam Mendes, who dropped out voluntarily on the news that Bond may be coming back to life, and David Slade, who just directed The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.
No casting has yet to begin, though rumors of who will play Katniss are traveling at a furious rate. The studio hopes to begin filming in the first half of next year.
this is an amazing book
It makes sick hearing them compare this to twilight. Sick.
these books are way better than twilight
Comparing Hunger Games to Twilight is like comparing art hanging in a museum to art hanging on your refrigerator.
I always felt the “love triangle” in this series was secondary at best. My biggest fear about the movies is that they really play it up and turn the series more into a romance.
i agree with cris
and no offsense to david slade but if he’s going to work on this he better make it better than the crapfest that was eclipse
SERIOUSLY.
IT IS A INSULT! A INSULT TO COMPARE TWILIGHT TO THE HUNGER GAMES!!!!!!
Agreed! The Hunger Games is miles better than Twilight. Thank goodness David Slade isn’t directing this either!
I’m kind of getting sick of Hunger Games being compared to Twilight in every singled article. Unlike Twilight, the love trianlge is more of a subplot. The center of the novel is Katniss’s conflict with the district. Also unlike Twilight, she’s not looking for a boyfriend and is more focused on surviving protecting her family. I’ll be really dissapointed if the movie focuses on the romance rather than the actual story. The books are great and probably the best young adult series I’ve read since Harry Potter. Hopefully, the film makers will do justice to the story and not turn it into a “Team Peeta vs. Team Gale” fest.
The Hunger Games is amazing and 10,000 times better than Twilight!
The Hunger Games in my opinion is WAYY better than Twilight. Why even compare??? I mean come on! The hunger games came out two months before Twilight did in book form! -_- Hunger Games FTW
twilight is gay movie
Why ARE we comparing Twilight and the Hunger Games? I love both but they are so very different. There is no Team Peeta and Team Gale, it is Team Katniss all the way!!
Twilight doesn’t even compare,or compete with Suzanne Collins,Books and movies (In the future).I mean I already know that The hunger games’s movie is going to kick butt.I am pretty young and I read the books.I already know it is going to be violent and bloody.Plus I am prob going to be crying when Rue dies.still I think it will be rated pg-14 not R I mean you can look at half the shows on television today,and see that they should be rated R.But I know it should be rated R.