Tarantino Called 'Hunger Games' a 'Battle Royale' Ripoff
What's the Tarantino movie you wish we got?
There are many Quentin Tarantino movies that never got made. From his Star Trek to the Vega Brothers, and even Luke Cage. But recently, Tarantino was on Jimmy Kimmel Live, which was hosted by Dana Carvey during Jimmy's absence, and he talked about another project we never got.
He says that he wished he had directed the remake of Battle Royale when it was offered to him, because then The Hunger Games ripped it off.
Tarantino and Battle Royale
Battle Royale (2001) was directed by Kinji Fukasaku and based on the novel by Kōshun Takami. It follows a group of junior high students forced to fight to the death in a dystopian world. Suzanne Collins' novel, The Hunger Games,has a very similar premise about kids in a dystopian future fighting for the entertainment of the rich.
Tarantino said:
“I’m a big fan of the Japanese movie Battle Royale, which is what Hunger Games was based on. Well, Hunger Games just ripped it off. That would have been awesome to have directed Battle Royale.”
We didn't get any explanation of how he would have directed it or if it was a pipe dream, but we know he's a huge fan of the movie. He even included an homage to it in Kill Bill Vol. 1, when he cast star Chiaki Kuriyama as schoolgirl Gogo Yubari. Also, if you don't watch the video, you should know Tarantino's tone was laid back and not actually mad. Although he used "ripped off," it felt congenial.
This critique of Hunger Games is not new and has been around for a long time and never hurt the commerciality of the project. It has a prequel book out now and a prequel film coming soon, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. We are awaiting Tarantino's 10th and final film, which he's working on now.
Let us know what you think in the comments.