The Reaping Begins Again: THE HUNGER GAMES and the Rise of the Franchise Play

In the world of theatre, the conversation around adaptation often circles musicals. Hollywood blockbusters like BACK TO THE FUTURE, MEAN GIRLS and PRETTY WOMAN have all had their moment in the West End spotlight, armed with sequins and songbooks. But quietly, steadily, another kind of adaptation has been taking root. As the stage prepares to welcome its first-ever production of THE HUNGER GAMES next year, there is something uniquely theatrical unfolding here that deserves closer inspection. It is not just the arrival of a dystopian spectacle, but a signal of something bigger: the age of the franchise play.

A New Kind of Adaptation

When playwright Conor McPherson, best known for his lyrical, intimate dramas like THE WEIR and GIRL FROM NORTH COUNTRY, was announced as the adaptor of Suzanne Collins’ YA juggernaut, it raised eyebrows. THE HUNGER GAMES is hardly a whispery fireside tale. Its world is brutal, fast-paced and cinematic. So what business does it have in a theatre, where the stakes are spoken, not CGI-rendered?

Yet that tension might be exactly the point. While musical adaptations often lean on spectacle and songs to translate film to stage, the straight play adaptation demands something different. It must dig into theme, dialogue, and stagecraft, trusting that theatrical alchemy can do the heavy lifting. For a franchise like THE HUNGER GAMES, which built its fame on action and adrenaline, this approach could open up the story in startling new ways.

By focusing on Katniss’s moral ambiguity, the performative nature of survival, and the blurred lines between propaganda and reality TV, the play might find its most powerful moments in stillness, not spectacle. And in the hands of director Matthew Dunster, known for visceral, often punk-infused productions like 2:22 A GHOST STORY and HANGMEN, the adaptation promises to push the boundaries of theatrical form without relying on familiar blockbuster tropes.

The Curious Evolution of the Franchise Play

This is not the first time a major film or literary franchise has made the leap to the non-musical stage. But the trend is still in its relative infancy. The watershed moment was HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD, which broke box office records and redefined what a play could look like in commercial terms. While it had the benefit of new material and the J.K. Rowling seal of approval, its success proved that audiences were willing to pay top dollar to see non-musical, IP-driven drama, provided the story felt vital and theatrically ambitious.

More recently, STRANGER THINGS: THE FIRST SHADOW and THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE have continued the trend, bringing atmospheric, effects-laden plays to big houses and younger demographics. These productions are helping to erode the old binary between “popular” musicals and “serious” plays. They are bridging fandom and form.

What makes THE HUNGER GAMES different is that it returns to the original book, reimagining the very first story in a world that is now saturated with its adaptations. In choosing to stage the initial reaping, the bread and circuses, and the rise of Katniss Everdeen, the play invites a different kind of intimacy with material many know through cinema. Watching these moments unfold in real time, without the safety net of editing or special effects, is bound to feel raw, urgent, and immediate.

Why Now?

The cultural timing is no accident. THE HUNGER GAMES as a franchise has always resonated most powerfully in times of political uncertainty. The Capitol’s opulence, the surveillance state, the use of media to control narrative, all of it feels newly relevant in the age of deepfakes and digital propaganda. As young people continue to take to the streets for climate justice, housing, and social equity, the story of a reluctant rebel girl who challenges a corrupt regime lands with fresh resonance.

Bringing this story to the stage also reflects a broader shift in theatrical programming. With the financial pressures facing producers post-pandemic, recognisable titles offer some security. But that does not have to mean creative compromise. Plays like THE HUNGER GAMES represent a compelling middle ground, commercial viability married to bold, interpretive storytelling.

And for audiences, especially younger ones who might not typically see themselves as “theatre people”, this is a welcome invitation. Seeing a story they love reinterpreted live could be the hook that pulls them into the world of theatre more broadly. That is not just good business, it is also good legacy building.

Backstage Courage and Capital Politics

Of course, none of this happens without risk. Adapting a property so beloved, with a character as iconic as Katniss, is no small task. The recent announcement that newcomer Olivia Brochant will take on the role has already sparked conversation. A 25-year-old French actress and singer, Brochant is relatively unknown in the English-speaking world. That choice, while bold, speaks to the production’s commitment to reinterpreting rather than replicating.

Her casting also gestures at the increasingly international nature of the West End. Just as Lea Michele revitalised FUNNY GIRL on Broadway with a controversial, conversation-sparking turn, Brochant’s Katniss may carry the same electricity. Will she bring an edge of foreignness that underscores Panem’s fractured society? Will she challenge our notions of what a heroine looks and sounds like?

The production is being mounted at the new, purpose-built London theatre, a trend that echoes the immersive ambitions of companies like Punchdrunk and Secret Cinema. This again suggests a desire not just to stage THE HUNGER GAMES, but to pull the audience inside it. Done well, this kind of theatrical immersion can be transformative. But it requires a careful balance between theme and thrill, particularly when the subject matter involves trauma, poverty and survival.

Fire in the Spotlight

In many ways, the decision to bring THE HUNGER GAMES to the stage represents the maturing of a genre. Once dismissed as mere YA fiction, the story is now being re-examined through a more theatrical, more adult lens. It asks us to consider what the story really means — not just what happens next.

And it raises a tantalising question for theatre-makers. If we can adapt dystopia to the stage without relying on songs or nostalgia, what else is possible? Could we see THE MATRIX as a minimalist allegory for identity? Could BLACK PANTHER become a Shakespearean family drama? Could FAST & FURIOUS be reimagined as a Beckettian meditation on speed and grief?

For now, all eyes are on Panem. But if the odds are in its favour, THE HUNGER GAMES could spark not just a franchise revival, but a renaissance of ambitious, boundary-pushing franchise plays. One that challenges the theatre to be not just reflective, but revolutionary.