Suzanne Collins Bids Farewell To ‘Hunger Games’ Films With Touching Letter


Suzanne Collins, author of The Hunger Games book series, said goodbye to the film franchise by publishing a lengthy yet touching letter.

The letter, which was published on the Scholastic website on November 17, apparently allowed Suzanne to share her final thoughts about the franchise – including expressions of gratitude to the cast, crew, and fans of all four films.

“Having spent the last decade in Panem, it’s time to move on to other lands. But before I do, I’d like to say a tremendous thank you to everyone associated with the film franchise. I’m thrilled with how this quartet of films, which I find both faithful to the books and innovative in its own right, has been brought to life on the screen.”

Suzanne also thanked Francis Lawrence, the director of the final three films, claiming that he “amazingly helmed the rest of the franchise,” which was started by Gary Ross’ direction of the very first film.

From one successful writer to another, Collins ensured that she did not leave the film’s writers out of her emotional letter: Gary Ross, Billy Ray, Michael Arndt, Simon Beaufoy, and Peter Craig. She thanked those gentlemen for sharing their “pens, brains and wealth of experience as we transformed three books into four scripts.”

Jennifer Lawrence
(Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)

Perhaps the most praise and commendation were paid to the leading actress of the Hunger Games movie franchise, Jennifer Lawrence, who played the heroine role of Katniss.

“There’s no Hunger Games without Katniss. I hoped for someone good enough, and I got someone who exceeded all my expectations. Jennifer Lawrence, your emotional depth, luminous presence, and sheer power carry this story and I will always be grateful to you for opening the door and allowing it to come into your life.”

Suzanne Collins confirmed that if she had to replace anyone in either of the films, she would not do so. The 53-year-old best-selling author wrote that there was not a “weak link in the chain” when it came to the cast.

“You blow me away with your ability to bring out the humanity of these characters from under outlandish wigs, while fighting lizard mutts, pumped with tracker jacker serum, waging war and so much more. Thank you for volunteering for the Games and inhabiting these characters with such texture, color, humor and pain.”

Collins also thanked the crew members working behind the scenes of each film. She even went as far as encouraging fans to take the time to review the end credits of each film to “acknowledge the enormous collaborative effort that goes into making a franchise.”

Hunger Games cast
(Photo Credit: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

To say that The Hunger Games film franchise was a huge success would arguably be viewed as a major understatement of epic proportions. According to Box Office Mojo, all four films have generated over $2.5 billion at the box-office worldwide to-date.

With the blockbuster success of the final installment, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, that figure is sure to rise even higher before the franchise is laid to rest in the history books of cinema.

Suzanne Collins concluded her letter by stating that the Hunger Games trilogy was “part of a larger goal to introduce the ideas of just war theory to young audiences,” but the vast audience that came along with the film franchise turned it into much more than that. As expected, she ended the letter with perhaps the most memorable line from the entire trilogy: “May the odds be ever in your favor.”

[Image Credit: Jason Merritt/Getty Images]

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