How Hunger Games Author Suzanne Collins Feels About The Movie Adaptations

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There are more prolific authors out there, but in terms of authors who hit the jackpot with a single series, it's hard to do better than Suzanne Collins. She is the writer behind "The Hunger Games" series, and the books themselves have sold more than 100 million copies worldwide. Though that's just the tip of the iceberg, as the movies based on those books have taken in well over $3 billion at the box office.

Money is all good and well, but how does Collins feel about the cinematic adaptations of her work? These things don't always go well for the creators. Stephen King famously hated Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining." It happens. Fortunately, in this case, Collins has largely seemed happy with what Lionsgate and the various creators have done with "The Hunger Games" franchise.

Back in 2012, before the first "Hunger Games" hit theaters and became a smash hit, Collins posted a letter revealing how she felt about director Gary Ross and screenwriter Billy Ray's take on the material. Here's what she had to say about it at the time:

"I'm really happy with how it turned out. I feel like the book and the film are individual yet complementary pieces that enhance one another. The film opens up the world beyond Katniss' point of view, allowing the audience access to the happenings of places like the Hunger Games control room and President Snow's rose garden, thereby adding a new dimension to the story."

"Director Gary Ross has created an adaptation that is faithful in both narrative and theme, but he's also brought a rich and powerful vision of Panem, its brutality and excesses, to the film as well," Collins added.

It doesn't hurt that Collins was directly involved in the making of "The Hunger Games," writing treatments that Billy Ray then worked from to turn into the script alongside Ross. It became a massive hit, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. Lionsgate quickly moved to turn the other two books in her series, "Catching Fire" and "Mockingjay," into movies as well, even going so far as to split "Mockingjay" into two parts. 

Francis Lawrence, of "Constantine" fame, stepped in for Ross, helming "Catching Fire" and both parts of "Mockingjay." All three movies were major successes, with "Mockingjay – Part 2" pulling in $653 million at the box office. Amazingly, that was the lowest-grossing entry in the original run of the franchise before the prequels kicked in. So, did Collins change her tune as the series wore on? Not really.

During a 2018 interview with the New York Times, the author reflected more broadly on the movies. She expressed satisfaction, praising Ray, Ross, and Lawrence for their translation of her work from page to screen.

"I did the boil down of the book, which is a lot of cutting things while trying to retain the dramatic structure. I think the hardest thing for me, because I'm not a terribly visual person, was finding the way to translate many words into few images. Billy and Gary, both far more experienced screenwriters and gifted directors as well, really excelled at that. Throughout the franchise I had terrific screenwriters, and Francis Lawrence, who directed the last three films, is an incredible visual storyteller. The most rewarding moment on the movie was the first time I saw it put together, still in rough form, and thinking it worked."

Though not something that Collins is by any means upset about, it's worth noting that the version of Katniss Everdeen we see in the movies, played by Oscar-winner Jennifer Lawrence, is not how the writer pictured the series' protagonist in her head. In that same New York Times piece, Collins explained that she maintains a specific image of Katniss in her head when it comes to the books, but that Lawrence has a space carved out in her mind when she thinks of the movies.

"The actress who looks exactly like my book Katniss doesn't exist. Jennifer looked close enough and felt very right, which is more important. She gives an amazing performance. When I think of the books, I still think of my initial image of Katniss. When I think of the movies, I think of Jen. Those images aren't at war any more than the books are with the films. Because they're faithful adaptations, the story becomes the primary thing."

In the letter Collins posted in 2012, she praised the cast at large, singling out Lawrence, saying, "The cast, led by the extraordinary Jennifer Lawrence, is absolutely wonderful across the board. It's such a pleasure to see how they've embodied the characters and brought them to life."

All in all, it seems to have been a great experience for Collins, one that is going to continue. Her first prequel novel, "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes," was turned into a movie in 2023. A follow-up centered on Haymitch entitled "Sunrise on the Reaping" is due to hit theaters in 2026, once again directed by Lawrence.

You can grab the "Hunger Games" five-film collection on Blu-ray or DVD from Amazon.