Quentin Tarantino Wishes He Would Have Directed the Movie ‘Battle Royale’: ‘Hunger Games Just Ripped It Off’
Director Quentin Tarantino has basically made every type of movie there is. His movies reach across a variety of genres like crime dramas, westerns, historical fiction movies, and samurai action films. While he has directed many great movies, Quentin Tarantino still thinks it would have been awesome to direct the Japanese movie Battle Royale, which he says The Hunger Games ripped off.
Quentin Tarantino has directed a variety of movies
Quentin Tarantino has a unique style that he brings to all his movies, but he branches out into different genres. He has directed crime thrillers like Jackie Brown and Pulp Fiction, westerns like The Hateful Eight and Django Unchained, and historical fiction movies including Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Inglorious Basterds.
Tarantino has never shied away from violence and is notorious for having overly bloody gun fights. His most gory films may be Kill Bill: Vol. 1 & Vol. 2. Both of these movies are heavily influenced by samurai movies, showing Tarantino has a love and respect for Japanese culture and their movies.
Tarantino says he would have loved to direct ‘Battle Royale’
In an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, guest host Dana Carvey asked Quentin Tarantino what movie he would have loved to direct. After giving it some thought, the director says Battle Royale is a movie he would have loved to work on. He also acknowledges that The Hunger Games series completely ripped this movie off.
“I’m a big fan of the Japanese movie Battle Royale, which is what Hunger Games was based on,” Tarantino shared. “Well, Hunger Games just ripped it off. That would have been awesome to have directed Battle Royale.”
Battle Royale is a 2000 Japanese movie about a class that is forced to fight to the death after being kidnapped by its government until there is one person standing. The Hunger Games shares many similarities with this premise but makes it unique enough with 12 districts and a tribute from each district. The level of violence is very different as Battle Royale is very bloody while Hunger Games keeps it PG-13.
What is the next Tarantino movie?
Quentin Tarantino has been very open about the fact that he wants to retire after directing 10 movies and his next movie would be number 10. It’s still unclear what exactly his next movie is or when it’s expected to be released. The director recently became a father with two young children at home, so that could be why it’s taking longer for him to make his potentially final film.
Meanwhile, The Hunger Games franchise continues to move forwards (or perhaps backwards). A Hunger Games prequel, titled The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, is on the way. The prequel takes place in the early days of The Hunger Games in Panem and focuses on a young Coriolanus Snow who would later become President Snow.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes arrives in theaters on Nov. 17, 2023. The movie is directed by Francis Lawrence and stars Rachel Zegler, Peter Dinklage, Hunter Schafer, Tom Blyth, and Jason Schwartzman.
