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It has been announced that London's West End will host the first-ever stage adaptation of Suzanne Collins' novel and Lionsgate's blockbuster film franchise. The world premiere will take place in Autumn 2024.
'The Hunger Games' is the latest in a growing trend of adapting books, series and blockbusters onto the stage. From 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child', 'Matilda', 'Back to the Future', Studio Ghibli’s 'My Neighbor Totoro', to recent shows like a prequel stage play for Stranger Things, Peaky Blinders, The Matrix and Dr. Strangelove, pre-existing IPs ensure a faithful fanbase eager to see what a stage adaptation can bring to beloved source materials.
Collins' internationally acclaimed novels have previously been adapted into a four-film blockbuster film franchise starring Jennifer Lawrence, adaptations which grossed nearly $3 billion (€2.8 billion) at the global box office.
And with the prequel The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes set for release in cinemas on 17 November, what better time to prep a stage show?
For those of you unfamiliar with the dystopian world of Panem, 'The Hunger Games' revolves around a deadly contest in which teenagers from impoverished districts battle against one another to entertain the Capitol's aristocracy. The story follows Katniss Everdeen, whose defiance of the Capitol's tyranny sparks a rebellion throughout Panem. The play will be based on the first book, and picks up when Katniss Everdeen steps in to replace her younger sister in the yearly competition.
Olivier Award-winning and five-time Tony nominee Conor McPherson ('Girl from the North Country') will adapt The Hunger Games for the stage, and Matthew Dunster ('2:22 - A Ghost Story', 'The Pillowman') will direct.
Suzanne Collins, best-selling author of The Hunger Games series, said: "I'm very excited to be collaborating with the amazing team of Conor McPherson and Matthew Dunster as they bring their dynamic and innovative interpretation of The Hunger Games to the London stage."
Playwright Conor McPherson added: "To receive Suzanne Collins' blessing to adapt The Hunger Games for the stage is both humbling and inspiring. She has created a classic story which continues to resonate now more than ever. In a world where the truth itself seems increasingly up for grabs, The Hunger Games beautifully expresses values of resilience, self-reliance and independent moral inquiry for younger people especially. This is turbo-charged storytelling of the highest order, and I'm hugely excited to bring it to a new generation of theatregoers and to Suzanne Collins' longstanding and devoted fans."
The cast, date, and venue will be revealed at a later date.
