London is volunteering to host the first-ever stage adaptation of The Hunger Games, based on the best-selling books by Suzan Collins and the blockbuster film franchise starring Jennifer Lawrence.
Matthew Dunster (“Hangmen”) is directing and playwright Conor McPherson (“Girl From the North Country”) is adapting the live theatre production. (And may the odds always be in their favour.) It will premiere in London in autumn 2024.
The play will be based on the first book in Collins’ dystopian series, which revolves around a televised battle royale in which young tributes are chosen by lottery to fight to the death. The story picks up when Katniss Everdeen, a role that made Lawrence a star, volunteers to take her younger sister’s place in the 74th annual Hunger Games. A press release describes the stage version as a “gripping tale of courage, defiance and the unbreakable human spirit”.
“I am thrilled to be working 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,” Collins said in a statement.
McPherson, whose other stage shows include The Weir, The Seafarer and Shining City, said it was “humbling and inspiring” to receive Collins’ blessing to adapt The Hunger Games for the stage.
“She has created a classic story that resonates now more than ever,” he said. “In a world where truth itself seems increasingly up for grabs, ‘The Hunger Games’ beautifully expresses values of resilience, self-reliance and independent moral inquiry, especially for younger people. It’s turbo-charged storytelling at its best, and I’m thrilled to bring it to a new generation of theatregoers and to Suzanne Collins’ longtime and devoted fans.
Dunster was equally euphoric about taking on the world of Panem. The theatre veteran, who has directed or written more than 60 shows and received five Tony nominations, says being hired to work on this show is “probably the most exciting job offer I’ve ever had”.
“As soon as the producers said the title, I was like, ‘Stop! I’m in,'” Dunster says. “I loved the Lionsgate film and the brutal and emotional power of this dystopian classic. My kids had their heads in the books at the time (it’s definitely the ONLY work I’ve done that they’re excited about), so I stole them and came to appreciate the beauty of Suzanne Collins’ storytelling. This is theatre. It’s The Hunger Games in theatre. And with the world-class team we have assembled, we want to do something that is fully immersed in the novel and the film, but is uniquely, thrillingly theatrical.
“The Hunger Games is produced by Tristan Baker and Charlie Parsons for Runaway Entertainment, Oliver Royds for BOS Productions and Isobel David in association with Lionsgate.
The original Hunger Games novel was published in 2008, followed by two sequels and four feature films. These films have collectively grossed $3 billion at the global box office. Lionsgate has developed a prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, starring Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler, which will be released in cinemas on 17 November.
