Making the Movie; Part 1: Production

In March 2009, Lions Gate Entertainment signed with Nina Jacobson’s Color Force on rights to create a book-to-film adaptation of the popular young-adult sci-fi action thriller novel The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Collins had already written a script herself and screenwriter Billy Ray made slight revisions. In November of 2010, Gary Ross signed on to be the primary director for the film. Steven Soderbergh signed on to be second unit director. Production was insured by Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company, who insisted upon a meticulous risk analysis for hazards the filming might see due to potential health risks such as errant arrows, bears, poison ivy, harmful insects, and a pursue across rapid water. The film had a preliminary budget of $75 million, but after promotional photography concluded, the final budget was recorded as between $90 million and $100 million, and abridged to around $78 million after subsidies. It was decided that the filming would take place within the United States, in North Carolina. The Hunger Games was released internationally on March 23, 2012, with a running time of 2 hours and 22 minutes, and received a PG-13 rating by the MPAA “for intense thematic violent material and disturbing images -- all involving teens”- much to producers’ expectations. With The Hunger Games being the first book in a set of three, the two sequels, Catching Fire and Mockingjay, are in-the-works. Catching Fire has already started production, and has a set release date of November 22, 2013. On April 10, 2012, it was announced that Gary Ross would not be returning to direct Catching Fire.