While studying Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games books, director Gary Ross’ youngsters had been hooked. Then when giving the books a learn for himself, Ross couldn’t put them down, both.
“They were riveted when they read it, so I knew about it already. My agent told me they were making a movie of it so I started reading around 10 o’clock one night and finished without stopping,” Ross tells The Hollywood Reporter by way of electronic mail.
After finishing the e book, Ross says he known as his agent the following morning to specific curiosity in directing what was certain to grow to be an anticipated movie. Collins’ bestselling sequence spent greater than 260 consecutive weeks on the New York Times bestseller checklist and bought greater than 100 million copies worldwide.
Though on the floor the story could be seen as an motion packed story, beneath lies a “harrowing premise” and “intimate emotional truth” that Ross says peaked his curiosity in directing the movie within the first place. “I think one reason this franchise was so successful is that this generation feels they are fighting for their survival all the time — and that survival is far from certain,” he says.
Released in theaters on March 23, 2012, Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games was the primary of an eventual 4-movie franchise primarily based on Collins’ bestselling trilogy — The Hunger Games (2008), Catching Fire (2009) and Mockingjay (2010) — centered within the dystopian world of Panem, the place one female and male between the ages of 12 and 18 from every of the twelve districts should compete within the annual Hunger Games competitors. The “tributes” should compete and battle to the demise to be the final one standing in a spectacle broadcasted stay for the rich Capitol residents. The story follows District 12 tribute Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), who volunteers to take the place of her sister and compete.
In its debut, the movie opened to $155 million on the home field workplace, with actors Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth shortly ascending to superstardom and the franchise paving a path for future dystopian sequence diversifications The Maze Runner and Divergent. A decade after the primary movie’s launch, Lionsgate is about to return to the Hunger Games world with an adaptation of Collins’ Hunger Games prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
Ahead of The Hunger Games‘ tenth anniversary, Ross reflected on bringing the book to life onscreen, finding the film’s star-studded solid, deciding to not direct the sequel and the way the movie’s themes are extra resonant than ever.
Director Gary Ross
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
For starters I hoped you might you’re taking me again to what you thought while you first heard about The Hunger Games being in improvement — what made you wish to board this?
I had heard in regards to the e book from my youngsters. They had been riveted after they learn it, so I knew about it already. My agent instructed me they had been making a film of it so I began studying round ten o’clock one evening and completed with out stopping. Then I known as her the following morning, telling her that I needed to do it.
In your conversations with Suzanne Collins about adapting this e book for the display screen, was there any perception or angle that she provided that helped form or reshape your method to directing the movie?
There had been so many conversations with Suzanne that it’s exhausting to slender all the way down to a single factor. One factor I discovered fascinating was how steeped she was in Roman historical past and the way a lot of this got here from the Roman Arena and the way she was knowledgeable by that. She was exploring how a tradition devolves into spectacle and Rome was her start line, I discovered that basically fascinating.
The e book is chronicled within the first-individual viewpoint of Katniss. Can you clarify the way you approached translating that perspective and preserving that first-individual subjectivity?
That was most likely the most important determination, directorially: staying in that very subjective first-individual narrative. A primary-individual viewpoint doesn’t actually imply a POV shot. It means limiting the data that the viewers has so that they by no means know greater than the protagonist — not less than till you need them to. You limit that context. In this case it was staying with Jennifer and by no means leaving her perspective which hopefully creates the stress that’s the engine within the movie.
By directing the primary movie, you made choices that influenced your entire franchise, most clearly with casting. In specific, when it got here to discovering and deciding on Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth, are you able to replicate on their auditions and what about every of them finally made them the match for his or her characters’ bigger journey?
Oh. Honestly, I had an actual sense of who I needed earlier than the auditions however as a result of it was an enormous franchise the studio needed everybody to learn which was tremendous. It was enjoyable really. Jennifer blew the doorways off the place. Josh was pitch excellent. I had no concept that Liam wasn’t American till I talked to him when the studying was over. They had been all simply nice. These had been truthfully simple choices for me.
From left: Liam Hemsworth, Josh Hutcherson, director Gary Ross and Jennifer Lawrence.
Kevin Mazur/WireImage
Cast members like Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks and Lenny Kravitz all portrayed characters additionally pivotal to the story. Are there any moments you may recall throughout the casting course of or filming while you personally realized they absolutely — each bodily and thematically — embodied every of the character’s signature voice and message?
Oh. Loads. I had simply labored with Stanley on an animated film and I occurred to be seated close to him at an Italian restaurant on New Year’s Eve. I stated “Stanley I have a great part for you I think.” He stated “terrific I’ll do it.” I stated, “don’t you want to know what it is?” He stated, “Nah I trust you.” He was kidding in fact however he’s a splendidly enthusiastic fellow. Woody really handed on the half at first and I needed to name him as much as speak him into it. He nonetheless thanks me on a regular basis, when actually, I ought to be thanking him — he was so nice within the function.
With Donald — and it’s a reasonably properly-recognized story by now — he wrote me a letter eloquently stating what his character meant to the narrative. I used to be so knocked out by it I stated, “Well shit, that has to be in the movie.” We had been capturing by a lake and I took a folding chair all the way down to the water and wrote a two scenes instantly, knowledgeable by that letter. They’re each within the closing movie just about unchanged.
From left: Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, and Jennifer Lawrence in The Hunger Games (2012).
Lionsgate/Courtesy Everett Collection
When studying the e book, it’s clear how a lot element there’s across the sport’s settings. What factor of the video games from the e book was essentially the most difficult to adapt?
In phrases of the variation it was the same problem to the capturing fashion: How do you keep on this characters head? How do you see the world fully via her eyes and really feel what she’s feeling? I don’t suppose I’d ever seen a story that demanded extra of a primary-individual perspective in order that was the problem.
An iconic second from the e book and movie is the lullaby. How did you’re employed with the composer and Suzanne on shaping the track and sound that was pivotal to the story and soul of the film that hadn’t absolutely existed but?
T-Bone Burnett really wrote that lullaby. The phrases are Suzanne’s so he simply took the lyrics from the e book and set them to music. He recorded a lady singing it and performed it for me and I consider I simply stated, “Thank you.”
The YA style is at instances deemed much less severe given its youthful viewers, but it’s a style that’s unafraid of exploring the tough realities round rising up. Given The Hunger Games’ storyline and its youthful characters, what sort of conversations did you could have with the studio round adapting and sustaining the gravity and actuality of the e book’s extra violent themes and world for the movie’s youthful viewers?
Great query. I knew from the start that this was such a harrowing premise, there was no have to be lurid or excessively graphic with the violence. An viewers brings a lot to those moments that overdoing them would really dissipate the stress. But the deeper query right here is about taking the themes within the film severely. I feel one cause this franchise was so profitable is that this technology feels they’re combating for his or her survival on a regular basis — and that survival is much from sure. From local weather change, to authoritarianism, their technology feels an actual sense of dread and jeopardy. Suzanne’s e book spoke that and it resonated. It’s one the explanations I needed to do it.
One of essentially the most distinguished characters of the story is Rue (portrayed by Amandla Stenberg) and her demise is the catalyst for Katniss and the revolution — a second within the movie that in 2020, specifically, took on one other very actual layer. When you had been producing that scene round her demise and Katniss’ memorialization of her physique, what discussions had been you having together with your artistic group about what you needed Rue’s bodily demise and Katniss’ memorialization of her physique and life to say?
Jennifer and I talked about it quite a bit. I actually needed the movie to pause at that second and honor this lady — to look at her life. And by interrupting the rhythm of the film and pausing to look at this memorial you’re saying one thing in regards to the worth of a human life. It’s not a sport and we’ll cease this sport to be able to honor her.
The Hunger Games‘ tenth anniversary comes at a time when we’ve seen throughout the globe large resistance to oppressive governments or establishments, and plenty of — particularly the youthful generations — calling for justice, change and unity. What did you hope individuals took away when the movie first launched, what if something did you discover they didn’t fairly grasp out of your imaginative and prescient and have you ever seen the viewers response change over time across the story?
I feel sadly the themes on this film are solely extra resonant now than after we made it. When Donald talks about manipulating the lots via false hope, it’s extra chilling now than it was then. The carnival/actuality-present model of reality that finally crumbles round them is definitely fairly prescient. As Dr. King stated: “No lie can live forever. Truth crushed to Earth shall rise again.”
Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson as Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark.
Lionsgate/Courtesy Everett Collection
You had deliberate to direct the Catching Fire sequel however finally didn’t direct the movie. Can you discuss why you determined to step away?
Well, it was a really exhausting determination. I feel what individuals didn’t notice is that I had two jobs. I wrote and I directed, and also you do a type of issues earlier than you do the opposite. There was truthfully no time to do each properly within the three-and-a half months between films so I moved on. I acquired to make Free State of Jones which not many individuals noticed however stays considered one of my favourite items of labor so — all good.
When wanting again on your expertise filming, what had been the most important classes you realized about adapting a franchise of this scale and what are you essentially the most pleased with when it comes to working on the movie that you might have taken with you to future tasks?
I feel I realized that scale isn’t any substitute for the intimate emotional reality that sustains any narrative. I realized that the energy and energy of Jennifer’s efficiency is greater than any visible impact and a tentpole is nice, however what’s inside that tent? That’s the lesson I take away from it. I’m very proud that we violated some paradigms and finally made a really intimate movie.
Interview edited for size and readability.
