Summary
- The iconic Hunger Games franchise is getting a new stage adaptation, promising a unique theater experience.
- Fans may appreciate the stage production’s potential to fix characterization issues from film adaptations.
- New adaptations provide opportunities to explore uncharted narrative territories beyond existing lore.
The Hunger Games has had an understated resurgence as of late, and now a few fortunate fans have the chance to experience the iconic story all over again in an exciting new medium sure to have them all catching fire for the franchise.
The Hunger Games became a massive international franchise when Suzanne Collins’s popular book series was adapted into big-budget films for a young adult audience. The first film, from which the franchise overall takes its name, made almost $700 million at the box office and set the stage for the entire book series to be adapted. This would lead to four film adaptations of the series’ three mainline books and a fifth film adapting the prequel tome The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes much more recently. The franchise has been such a hit that Collins’ as of yet unreleased prequel book Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is already in development with a director attached courtesy of Lionsgate.
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Despite massive box office success and launching a franchise, some fans have maintained that The Hunger Games deserved a better adaptation that did more to focus on Katniss, and less on the pomp of the Capitol than the 2012 film. Now there’s a chance for those fans to get their wish, albeit not in a medium that many would have predicted. Per Variety, the first ever stage adaptation of the iconic franchise is set to begin performances on the 20th of October at the newly-constructed Troubadour Canary Wharf Theatre, which seats 1,200. The production, which sees the first book in the franchise adapted for the stage by award-winning playwright Conor McPherson, sees director Matthew Dunster in charge. “I’m thrilled that ‘The Hunger Games’ is in the hands of gifted playwright Conor McPherson and accomplished director Matthew Dunster,” Collins said in a statement concerning the stage production. “Connor has done a fantastic adaptation, which is quite unique from the screenplay. And Matthew’s immersive, dynamic staging gives the audience a brand-new way to experience the story.” Dunster also commented on the upcoming production at length, at one point addressing the production’s approach to what’s come before.
We’ve been workshopping the play for over a year with our world-class creative team; carefully honing our theatrical vocabulary because we want to bring audiences something as impactful and edgy as Suzanne Collins’ novel and as passionate and exciting as the movie. But we are going to do it in our own way – in the theatre. We want our ‘Hunger Games’ to be uniquely, thrillingly theatrical.
Dunster’s insistence on a unique experience is going to be a key part of the draw for this new adaptation. Film is usually a more accessible medium for potential fans looking to experience a book adaptation, and it’s hard to achieve the same sort of awe on stage. One major thing about this new adaptation that fans might be interested in is the fact that it could potentially fix the main issue with the first film adaptation, which adapts the same source material that the stage production does. Even the most recent Hunger Games film made changes from the books despite having the budget and brand power to command an entirely faithful rendition, and that will only be more pertinent for a stage production. The lack of many of the tools and tricks of theatrical fare means that the stage production will have to make changes to make the story work, many of which will lend themselves to better characterization and reduce the distraction from the visual worldbuilding.
Despite the franchise’s extensive lore and adaptations, there’s still a lot of fertile ground to sow for any future projects. Fans would love to know what happened to the rest of the world outside Hunger Games’ Panem, and that gives creatives a literal world to explore and build without necessarily being constrained by the events of the books and adaptations up to this point, if so inclined. The Hunger Games: On Stage is a great step in the right direction for a more creatively robust franchise, and fans can only hope it’s a sign of more things to come.
The Hunger Games film franchise is available to stream on Netflix.
The Hunger Games
- Created by
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Suzanne Collins
- First Film
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The Hunger Games
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