To become a MOVIE!!

It's gonna be a movie!!!

Since its publication in September, the critically acclaimed and hugely popular The Hunger Games (Scholastic, 2008) by Suzanne Collins has had readers blogging about who they think would be cast in a film version of the book. A Hunger Games movie is that much closer to being realized now that Lionsgate has announced that it acquired the distribution rights for the work from producer Nina Jacobson.

“The suspense of The Hunger Games is heightened by its spirit of moral inquiry, and Suzanne has entrusted Lionsgate and me to bring that moral perspective to the adaptation—a charge we fully intend to honor,” said Jacobson, who is also bringing Jeff Kinney's "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" books (Abrams/Amulet 2007) to the screen. Collins, an experienced screenwriter, will do the screen adaptation herself.

Lionsgate president of motion picture production Alli Shearmur is thrilled to have The Hunger Games. “This is exactly the kind of movie I came to Lionsgate to make: youthful, exciting, smart, and edgy.”

Author Suzanne Collins

Interest in the booked peaked after Twilight’s (Little, Brown, 2005) Stephenie Meyer praised it and Stephen King published a review of the book in Entertainment Weekly. The first of a trilogy, The Hunger Games is set in a dystopic capital where two teens are required to participate in an annual live, televised fight to the death. The book has been on the New York Times bestseller list for 27 weeks, received a star review from School Library Journal, and is a participating title in SLJ’s Battle of the (Kids') Books. The second installment in the series, Catching Fire, is due out September 1, 2009.