Irish playwright to write stage adaptation of The Hunger Games for the West End
The Hunger Games is a series of young adult dystopian novels written by Suzanne Collins.
It’s the bestselling novel that broke box-office records, but now Suzanne Collin’s novel has been adapted for the West End by an Irish playwright.
Five-time Tony nominee and Olivier Award winner Conor McPherson, from Dublin, will adapt the first installation of the science fiction series which will make its stage debut in London next autumn.
Conor, who attended UCD, already has a number of impressive projects to his name including and
In a statement, novelist Suzanne Collins said she was thrilled about the upcoming adaptation. “I’m very excited to be collaborating with the amazing team of Conor McPherson and Matthew Dunster (who will direct) as they bring their dynamic and innovative interpretation of The Hunger Games to the London stage.”
It's estimated that the book has sold over 100 million copies worldwide and was originally intended to be a stand-alone novel.
The first story in the trilogy follows teenage heroine Katniss Everdeen (played by Jennifer Lawrence in the film franchise) as she battles for survival in her dystopian society’s annual game of ritualised killing.
McPherson, who is represented by Curtis Brown Literary Agency in the UK, said it’s a huge honour to be involved.
"To receive Suzanne Collins’s blessing to adapt for the stage is both humbling and inspiring,” the 48-year-old says.
“She has created a classic story which continues to resonate now more than ever. In a world where the truth itself seems increasingly up for grabs, beautifully expresses values of resilience, self-reliance and independent moral inquiry for younger people especially. This is turbo-charged storytelling of the highest order and I’m hugely excited to bring it to a new generation of theatergoers and to Suzanne Collins’s longstanding and devoted fans."
Playwright and screenwriter McPherson was named by as ‘the finest playwright of his generation'.
Conor also writes for film and in 2008 he began production on , which marked his debut as a screen director. was adapted by Conor from a ghost story by Billy Roche and stars Aidan Quinn and Ciaran Hinds.
He also developed Films based on the novel by Taichi Yamada.
Other works in progress by the Dubliner include screenplay for Paul Greengrass.
His original television drama developed with Cuba Pictures and BBC NI for BBC2, aired in May 2017 to brilliant reviews. with music from Bob Dylan, had its world premiere at the Old Vic theatre in 2017. It was transferred to the West End in 2018 and arrived on Broadway in 2020.
