The richest actor in Hollywood.

The next day's shoot only had Matthew scheduled for the morning. After wrapping up his scenes, he headed to Burbank to visit the Angel Agency. On the way, he asked Brown-Williams to stop briefly at a bookstore. He sent a bodyguard inside to check if they had copies of the novel *The Hunger Games* for sale.

The previous night, he had seen an email compiled by Bella Anderson, which contained the latest recommendations from *The New York Times* book section. Since securing the rights to the *Twilight* series last year, his assistant team had been closely monitoring these recommendations.

Matthew hadn't specified to Bella Anderson which novels to focus on, so he had her send every issue's recommended novels and bestseller lists directly to him.

Finally, he had come across *The Hunger Games*.

"Boss..."

A bodyguard opened the car door and handed a not-too-thick novel to Matthew. "Is this the one you're looking for?"

Matthew took the book and glanced at the cover. It featured a burning golden ring with an arrow-pierced bird inside it, along with the title *The Hunger Games* and the author, Suzanne Collins.

"This should be it." Matthew waved the bodyguard back to the front seat and then told Brown-Williams, who was driving, "Let's go."

The car started and merged onto the highway leading to Burbank.

The trip to Burbank would take some time, so Matthew started skimming through the novel as they drove.

"When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold. I reach out to feel Prim's warmth but find only the rough canvas sheet. She must have had a nightmare and crawled in with our mother. It's still early. Today is the Reaping."

Matthew began reading, and to his surprise, the novel was narrated from the first-person perspective of the female protagonist, Katniss.

Although the first-person narrative felt a bit unusual, he continued reading. After all, this wasn't just about personal interest; it concerned potential future investment returns.

After skimming through about twenty pages, Matthew was certain that this was indeed the source material for the movie he vaguely remembered starring Jennifer Lawrence. Even though he had only briefly watched the first film back when he was across the Pacific, the setting reminiscent of *Battle Royale* had left an impression.

Matthew's reading speed was fast, and by the time they reached Burbank, he had already gone through most of the book.

In film industry terms, this was a typical young adult dystopian novel.

Set in a future North America, the nation of Panem is built upon the ruins of a once-great civilization. Its central city, the Capitol, governs twelve surrounding districts.

Every year, the twelve districts are forced to send one boy and one girl, aged 12 to 18, as "tributes" to participate in the Hunger Games—a brutal and deadly competition where the tributes must fight to the death until only one survivor remains.

The arena, designed with artificial forests and wastelands, becomes the stage for scenes of hunting, tracking, hunger, disguise, and strategy, all broadcast live to the nation. The entire country is forced to watch and celebrate the games as if they were a festival. For the Capitol, it's an annual event, a game. But for the districts, it's a symbol of shame and torment.

Survival is second nature to 16-year-old Katniss. She barely keeps her mother, sister, and herself alive by hunting illegally beyond the district's fence and gathering wild fruits. When Katniss volunteers to take her sister's place in the Hunger Games, she knows it's a death sentence unless she can navigate the deadly choices between humanity and survival, death and love.

In the arena, Katniss is unwittingly shaped into the image of "the girl on fire" and forms a complicated relationship with her fellow district tribute, Peeta, becoming part of a "star-crossed lovers" narrative that captivates the audience. She struggles with her feelings for Peeta, tries to save other tributes, and cleverly solves the puzzles of the game, making her the center of attention for the viewers...

Like another young adult series, *The Hunger Games* appeared to be a dystopian story with a strong romantic element.

Moreover, the novel bore a strong resemblance to *Battle Royale*, a book he had read last year while searching for something similar to *The Hunger Games*.

In the future, if the book gained widespread popularity or was adapted into a movie, it would likely spark discussions about plagiarism of the *Battle Royale* series.

However, Matthew wasn't concerned about this. Hollywood could be quite aggressive at times.

Among Hollywood companies, and even between Hollywood and other companies in North America or the Western world, copyrights were taken seriously. But outside this circle, the attitude was often more domineering.

For example, in the country where *Battle Royale* originated, how many Hollywood films had been accused of plagiarizing their anime or other literary works? Yet, few in that country ever pursued copyright lawsuits, and even if they did, winning was rare.

In other words, in countries and regions not within Hollywood's sphere, Hollywood didn't play by their rules.

A community that values copyrights and contracts highly doesn't necessarily respect the copyright agreements of other nations and regions. This behavior wasn't new in Hollywood.

Moreover, the novel was filled with thrilling and science fiction elements.

These features could serve as major selling points for a movie adaptation.

Having finished the novel, Matthew was now convinced that this was the original *The Hunger Games*. Naturally, his thoughts turned to the possibility of a film adaptation.

More importantly, he noticed that the publication date on the back cover of the book was September 14, 2008.

This meant the novel had only been out for a little over half a month and likely hadn't attracted much attention yet.

When it comes to securing movie rights, the fewer competitors, the better.

"The movie rights to this novel?"

In the office of Angel Agency, Helen Herman looked at the novel's cover, adjusted her glasses, and asked, "*The Hunger Games*? By Suzanne Collins? I've never heard of her."

Matthew didn't care about that. He pulled out a chair and sat across from her desk. "I just read through this novel. It's a typical young adult genre, like *Twilight*, and I think it has potential for adaptation."

Helen Herman didn't respond immediately. Instead, she opened the book and skimmed through it, then thought for a moment before saying, "Young adult novels have been gaining popularity in recent years, but as for how they'll fare in film adaptations, it's too early to say. No films in this genre have been released yet, so we can't guarantee the outcome. I suggest waiting until *Twilight* is released before making a decision."

This was certainly a cautious approach. If the *Twilight* movie adaptation succeeded, it would indicate that there was a market for this type of story. Otherwise, there would be no point in wasting resources on *The Hunger Games* series.

But Matthew didn't see it that way. With *The Hunger Games* being on the market for such a short time and so few people noticing it, who knows what other competitors might emerge if they waited?

"I think that once *Twilight* is released and becomes a hit, a lot of unpredictable factors could come into play." Matthew shared his thoughts, seeing that Helen Herman was deep in thought. He added, "I called Bella Anderson on my way here. Suzanne Collins is a new author, and *The Hunger Games* is her first published work. The rights shouldn't be too expensive. Even if it costs a few million dollars, I'm willing to take the risk."

Helen Herman finished her contemplation and said, "If you've made up your mind, then go ahead."

To be honest, even if she disagreed, it wouldn't stop Thirteen Films from purchasing the rights to the novel. Matthew was discussing it with her partly because he needed her to handle the negotiations and partly out of respect for her as his agent.

Besides, a few million dollars was nothing to Matthew.

Matthew didn't hold back and said directly, "I'd like you to contact the author and publisher of this novel and try to secure the rights within this month. This novel clearly isn't a standalone work, and if it's part of a series, try to obtain the rights for future installments or at least secure a first refusal option."

Helen Herman simply nodded in agreement.

"As for your commission..." Matthew understood the importance of incentivizing people to work. "How about the same terms as for the *Twilight* series?"

"That works." Helen Herman agreed, "I'll have someone start the preliminary investigation immediately."

Matthew added, "The sooner, the better."

Helen Herman was known for her efficiency. Just as the opening battle scene of *G.I. Joe* was wrapping up, she had already sent Matthew the initial research materials.

However, things weren't as simple as Matthew had hoped.

Suzanne Collins was indeed a new author, but she wasn't an inexperienced housewife like Stephenie Meyer had been before writing *Twilight*. Collins was an experienced children's television writer who had written for Nickelodeon shows like *Clarissa Explains It All* and *The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo*, both of which had earned Emmy nominations.

In other words, she was an insider in Hollywood.

Securing the movie rights to her novel at a low price wouldn't be easy.

Additionally, renowned author Stephen King had already written a review for the novel: "In the realm of dystopian stories, *The Hunger Games* stands out. The pacing is fast, and the suspense is constant. The author is a master of her craft, with no unnecessary words and a delightful touch of dark humor. Reading *The Hunger Games* is addictive, like playing a video game; you know the world isn't real, but you can't resist coming back for more."

These factors would undoubtedly give Suzanne Collins leverage in negotiations for the movie rights.

Nonetheless, none of this would deter Matthew from pursuing the rights to the series. He stuck to his original plan, instructing Helen Herman to continue negotiations with Suzanne Collins and her publisher to secure the movie rights as soon as possible.

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