Quentin Tarantino Completely Torches the ‘Hunger Games’ Franchise: “They Just Ripped Off the F****n’ Book”

Quentin Tarantino Completely Torches the ‘Hunger Games’ Franchise: “They Just Ripped Off the F****n’ Book” Image via Carla Van Wagoner/Future Image/Cover Images By  Jake Hodges Published 4 minutes ago In over three years at Collider, senior author Jake has now penned over 2500 articles covering a wide range of TV and film for the resources, lists, utilities, news, and interview teams. Alongside interviewing stars such as Selin Hizli, Rose Ayling-Ellis, and Chelsea Peretti, Jake was lucky enough to visit the set of Aardman and Netflix's Wallace and Gromit: A Vengeance Most Fowl in 2024, getting the chance to chat with four-time Academy Award winner Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham. Jake has also worked for other publications, including Agents of Fandom.  Sign in to your Collider account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

If there is one man unafraid to give his opinion on movies, it's Quentin Tarantino. Given the great director's cinematic pedigree, his unwavering love for all things film, and his typically unapologetic storytelling style, it's no surprise that he would have strong opinions on a variety of cinematic subjects. A film regularly cited by Tarantino as one of his favorites, admitting last year he was a "big fan," is Kinji Fukasaku's Battle Royale, one of the most intense action movies ever made, and a film often compared to The Hunger Games franchise.

Well, it is this very comparison that has sparked a foul-mouthed recent rant from Tarantino on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast, as he slammed The Hunger Games for having apparently "ripped off" Battle Royale and its 1999 novelized source material of the same name. "I do not understand how the Japanese writer didn’t sue Suzanne Collins for every fucking thing she owns," Tarantino admitted. "They just ripped off the fuckin’ book. Stupid book critics are not going to go watch a Japanese movie called Battle Royale so the stupid book critics never called her on it." He continued, "They talked about how it was the most original fuckin’ thing they’d ever read. As soon as the film critics saw the film, they said, ‘What the fuck? This is just Battle Royale except PG!'"

Collins herself has previously denied this suggestion, one that has persisted ever since her first novel debuted. "I had never heard of that book or that author until my book was turned in," she previously said in a 2011 interview, adding, "At that point, it was mentioned to me, and I asked my editor if I should read it. He said, ‘No, I don’t want that world in your head. Just continue with what you’re doing.’"

'The Hunger Games' Franchise Will Return Soon

After reviving the franchise with a prequel movie, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, The Hunger Games is back next year with the latest installment, Sunrise on the Reaping. Set to be released in theaters on November 20, 2026, the film will tell the story of the 50th Hunger Games and feature Joseph Zada as a young Haymitch Abernathy, taking over the role from Woody Harrelson. The rest of the cast includes the likes of Mckenna Grace, Jesse Plemons, Ralph Fiennes, Elle Fanning, Jesse Plemons, Glenn Close, and Maya Hawke.

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The Hunger Games

Like Follow Followed PG-13 Science Fiction Adventure Action Release Date March 23, 2012 Runtime 142 minutes Director Gary Ross Writers Billy Ray, Gary Ross, Suzanne Collins Producers Jon Kilik Prequel(s) The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Sequel(s) The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Franchise(s) The Hunger Games

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• Jennifer Lawrence Katniss Everdeen
• Josh Hutcherson Peeta Mellark

Genres Science Fiction, Adventure, Action Powered by Expand Collapse

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• Quentin Tarantino
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