Quentin Tarantino attacks the author of ‘The Hunger Games’: “How the Japanese writer didn’t sue?”
The filmmaker argues that the successful franchise created by Suzanne Collins is a rip-off of ‘Battle Royale’.
Published in 2008, Suzanne Collins’ novel The Hunger Games immediately became an international publishing phenomenon. It sold 20 million copies, remained on The New York Times bestseller list for 102 weeks, and its cultural impact only grew with the unforgettable film series starring Jennifer Lawrence. Although the plot of survival in a contest between teenagers was considered revolutionary at the time, Quentin Tarantino pointed out in his latest interview on The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast that it is an obvious plagiarism of the Japanese cult film ‘Battle Royale,’ directed by Kinji Fukasaku.
“I do not understand how the Japanese writer didn’t sue Suzanne Collins for every fucking thing she owns,” replied the two-time Oscar-winning filmmaker. “They just ripped off the fucking book! Stupid book critics are not going to go watch a Japanese movie called ‘Battle Royale,’ so the stupid book critics never called her out on it. They talked about how it was the most original thing they’d ever fucking read. As soon as the film critics saw the film they said, ‘What the fuck! This is just “Battle Royale” except PG!’”
Like The Hunger Games, the film based on Koushun Takami’s 1999 novel is set in a dystopian future in which a totalitarian government controls Japan. Forced by the regime, a high school class must fight to the death until only one survivor remains. Collins’ novel is indeed similar, although it also echoes works by Stephen King such as ‘The Long Walk’ and ‘The Running Man.’
When The New York Times asked Collins in 2011 about the Japanese film’s influence on her work, she denied having known about Takami’s book before publishing her novel: “I had never heard of that book or that author until my book was turned in. 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.’”
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Launched in 2012, the Hunger Games film series has grossed more than $3 billion worldwide. Its latest installment, the prequel ‘Sunrise on the Reaping,’ will be released on November 20, 2026.
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