Where to watch The Hunger Games (2012)

Trivia & production notes

• Lionsgate acquired the film rights to The Hunger Games through a co-production agreement with Nina Jacobson's Color Force, which had purchased worldwide distribution rights to the novel for approximately $200,000.
• To finance The Hunger Games' $88 million budget, Lionsgate—which hadn't turned a profit in five years—redirected money from other film projects and sold assets.
• Gary Ross learned about The Hunger Games when his children were reading the book and became interested in directing after his agent informed him an adaptation was in development.
• The screenplay was adapted by author Suzanne Collins herself, working with screenwriter Billy Ray and director Gary Ross to maintain the novel's first-person perspective.
• Director Gary Ross expanded the role of Seneca Crane, the Head Gamemaker, and created the Gamemakers' control center specifically to show Capitol machinations that Katniss cannot witness in the novel.
• About 30 actresses auditioned for Katniss Everdeen, including Hailee Steinfeld, Abigail Breslin, Emma Roberts, Saoirse Ronan, and Chloë Grace Moretz, before Jennifer Lawrence was cast.
• Jennifer Lawrence, who was four years older than the character, initially took three days to decide whether to accept the role of Katniss.
• Lawrence refused the producers' request to lose weight for the role because she didn't want to set a negative example for young girls.
• Director Gary Ross personally called Woody Harrelson to convince him to accept the role of Haymitch Abernathy after the Oscar nominee initially declined.
• Stanley Tucci accepted the role of Caesar Flickerman immediately when Gary Ross offered it to him at an Italian restaurant in New York City on New Year's Eve, having previously worked together on The Tale of Despereaux.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article The Hunger Games (film), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Rewritten for StreamShack; errors are ours — tell us about them.