THE HUNGER GAMES was a massive success at the box office this year, creating a franchise out of author Suzanne Collins series of books and shooting Jennifer Lawrance straight into the A-list. It received predominantly positive reviews and continues to rake in the bucks on blu-ray/DVD.
But…
Before director Gary Ross took over the project, another filmmaker was vying for the gig. Kevin Tancharoen, the filmmaker behind FAME and the MORTAL KOMBAT web series (and developing feature film) made a mash-up pitch reel for Lionsgate (much like Joe Carnahan’s Daredevil pitch) in the hopes of taking on the now epic franchise, which showed a much darker, edgier tone to the series.
Check it out:
Tancharoen’s pitch reel didn’t get him the job, but he is happy with the final result regardless, saying “It was incredibly difficult to find all these clips and tell a new story but I’m happy with the way it turned out. I would love for this to be an example for people who want to know what a pitch reel looks like and how to create one from existing movies. I really loved the film that Lionsgate, Gary Ross, and Nina Jacobson made – I went opening night. I just think it’s interesting to see how different directors visualize the same source material. I’ve always enjoyed when other directors showcase their process…it has helped me learn tremendously.”
Personally, I thought THE HUNGER GAMES was good, but would much rather have seen something along Tancharoen’s vision, even if it seems bleaker than Collins’ source material. What do you think? Which version do you prefer, the actual film we got or the one that could’ve been?
THE HUNGER GAMES blu-ray/DVD is now in stores.