Simon Beaufoy’s ‘Catching Fire’ Script Draft Complete!
“It’s very, very different from the way I normally adapt which is to read the book twice and then put it to one side,” says [Simon] Beaufoy, who has already submitted his first draft for Catching Fire. “You can’t do this (with Catching Fire) because you’ll get firebombed by the fan base. I never see changing a novel a lot into a screenplay is disrespect at all really to the novel or the novelist. I see it as the opposite. You are making something different. And to do that you have to be quite free with the material. I had many concerns with taking on Catching Fire because my usual approach is to be very free. But what I hadn’t realized was that Suzanne Collins used to be a TV writer and film writer. She sort of adapted it already. The novels are very filmic structurally already. Luckily I haven’t had that battle in my head where I thought I had to discard everything, which is good because the fan base is incredibly loyal to everything.”
Source: Hollywood Outbreak
He sounds like he’s doing a good job with it!!! I’m so excited.
So he is that kinda writer? I hope he is right and doesn’t completely jack up catching fire. I hate those types of writers where they basically recreate the storyline and just keep the characters. Look at the Percy Jackson movie for example. Best books (next to hunger games) but its the worst movie ever made!
YAY YOU GUYS! We did it! We SCARE people!
*high fives*
Ok he seems to be doing a good job, but he is used to freedom. Hopefully he won’t change things too much
When he said he was used to freedom I was really scared. I really don’t know what to think, I just hope they don’t change things that are important character wise. Plot wise I wouldn’t mind that much because it’s not easy to adapt a three hundred page book into an hour and a half movie while keeping every single detail of it intact.
OH, please let Catching Fire not be a fail…
I really hope that Hunger Games is good. I have been obsesing oer this book sence I read it and am driing my friends crazy(it is their fault for telling me to read them). If the first movie stinks I don’t think I’ll want to see the second or third!
I just hope this guy stays true to the 2nd book.. We wouldn’t want an Uprising now would we?!…lol…but it should be true to us fans and Suzanna collins
I am sure Gary Ross and Suzanne Collins will go over the draft and make as many changes as necessary so that they keep it true to the story. They are smart, they know the fans are the fuel that feeds this phenomenon so if they deviate too much fans won´t like it… I don´t understand that kind of mindset Simon Beaufoy seems to have, fortunately he doesn´t have the last word on what will ultimately make it into the movie. Just remember it was Billy Ray who initially wrote the script for the hunger games, then Gary and Suzanne went over it and thankfully made changes so it stayed true to the book.
We’re already talking about Catching Fire! Yaaayyyy!
We’re awesome if we can scare them into doing it right, go panemaniacs!
I hate it when people change the books when they make movies, especially with these books when they’re already this amazing.
A friend just told me the script is now in Suzanne Collins´ hands…
You guys, this is the guy that wrote SLUM DOG MILLIONAIRE and 127 HOURS. Even if it’s not exactly like the book, I highly doubt it would suck. He knows what he is doing. There is no other writer that i more critically acclaimed. He was nominated for three Oscars in writing and won one. I am EXTRA excited to see CF through his vision.
^^ I loved 127 Hours that was like the best movie ever. Hopefully that will change on March 23 though.
“firebombed”, good choice of words Simon
Ack! CANNOT WAIT! Catching Fire WILL BE epic!
As long as it’s not like the last Harry Potter movie in the sense of it being changed from the book that much
no doubt he is a brilliant writer…however he is used to having a lot of freedom, so writing a brilliant script that is also true to the story it´s based on is what he should aim for in this case, i am not worried, because both the author and the director will be on top of it, so any changes made to the story will have Suzanne Collins´ blessing
Only 627 more days until the movie premeires!
I have always suspected that Suzanne Collins designed the books to be made into movies. I agree that “the novels are very filmic structurally.” That has pros and cons. On the pro side, it gets the movie crowd to read a book – that’s great for increasing literacy. On the con side, a movie only has two or three hours to keep your attention which means the book version doesn’t have much going on. The author must compensate with lots of “analysis” like in Twilight. On the whole, I hope the practice of writing books for movies doesn’t become widespread. I love book books.
I think he basically said he was altering his “free” writing style bacause he knew the fans would be “watching his every step” and Collins structured the novel like a movie. Collins used to work forNickolodeon as a writer and did “Clarrissa Explains It All” so I think that is why they are involving her so much in the script adaptation process. I’ve never seen what this guy has written so I don’t know if he is any good but thus far they seem to have made good choices. I’m cautiously optimistic Collins and Ross won’t let him screw up their multi million dollar investment.