Studios gorge on young-adult fiction amid success of ‘Hunger Games’
Source: @latimes
#screenplay #adaptation #film
“The back-to-back blockbuster successes of ”Harry Potter,“"Twilight” and now “The Hunger Games” have turned the hunt for fresh young-adult fiction white-hot in Hollywood, as studios try to turn what used to be a phenomenon into what might be a formula.
Frenzied auctions are underway for books that haven’t even been published. Studios are paying as much as $1 million for the rights to adapt titles that are relatively modest sellers, particularly those featuring science-fiction, fantasy and dystopian themes.
“Every single studio wants to capitalize on a young-adult franchise,” said Josie Freedman, co-head of the book-to-films department at talent agency International Creative Management. “It’s what’s selling on the publishing side and on the film side.”
In a business plagued by unpredictability but desperate to find the shortest route to a new brand-name franchise, young-adult novels have become the golden ticket. They often come with a built-in fan base that can help create the early buzz that transforms a movie opening into an event. The best of the books feature universally relatable themes of alienation, love and heroism, and cinematic story lines that translate easily to the big screen.
“Young-adult literature is a genre that takes place at a specific time in your life when everything seems to be high stakes,” said Erik Feig, president of production at Lionsgate, the studio behind “The Hunger Games” and “Twilight.” “If you set stories in different worlds with unique protagonists and an element of wish fulfillment, I don’t think people will ever be tired of it.”
Suzanne Collins’ trilogy of books about teenagers forced to fight to the death in an oppressive future society has become a new standard. That’s because unlike “Twilight,” which was a hit principally with girls and young women, “The Hunger Games” has attracted men too….“
2 Notes/ Hide
- threelinesorless posted this