When Suzanne Collins wrote the initial adaptation of The Hunger Games, screenwriter Billy Ray took over for revisions. Entertainment Weekly obtained an early copy of his now-completed script, comparing the script to the original.
Spoiler: It’s shaping up to be a PG-13 experience. The story features a battle royale between teenage players and the idea of minors acting out such violence is a concern. In fact, when you order the pictured box set the product description does say “Ages 12+.”
“‘It’s always going to be an intense subject matter, but you can tell the story with some restraint,’ said producer Nina Jacobson in the Entertainment Weekly article. ‘The only people these books are not for are those under 12. The movie will be the same.'”
We recently explored how Collins’ life changed with the release of Mockingjay, the final book in the trilogy. The final book sold 450,000 copies in its first week of publication. “‘Book 3 was the breakthrough book for Harry Potter and Twilight, too,’ says David Levithan, Scholastic’s executive editorial director. ‘We’re hitting right on schedule.'”