The Giver' Trailer Debuts; Book's Author Compares to Hunger Games, Claims The Story is Less Violent
"The Giver" debuted its first trailer this week, offering moviegoers a first look at the big screen adaptation of the beloved children's novel.
The book, written by Lois Lowry, was first published in 1993 and has since reached millions of readers across the U.S. The story follows a character named Jonas who is introduced to an elderly member of his community known as the Giver. He learns that the futuristic society he lives in has removed human emotion and wiped out all memory of it, and when the truth about the "real world" is exposed, he must work with the Giver to save those who they have learned to love.
Walden Media and The Weinstein Company are bringing "The Giver" to theaters everywhere on August 15. The film was made with help from the author, Lowry, who relinquished the rights to the book over 18 years ago. Since "The Giver" arrives on the wave of dystopian hit films such as "Divergent" and "The Hunger Games," Lowry pointed out her novel was the first of its kind at the time it was published.
"My book was published before those dystopian books, so some people have said that The Giver was the first dystopian novel for young people. But those movies got made sooner," Lowry told Entertainment Tonight.
She also pointed out that "The Giver" does not include as much violence as "Divergent" and "The Hunger Games."
"Those books and movies are very violent, which The Giver is not," the author explained. "That should have worked against them, but there they are- out there as good films."
The trailer for "The Giver" gives viewers a first look at the film's colorful cast that includes Meryl Streep, Jeff Bridges, Taylor Swift, Katie Holmes, Alexander Skarsgard as well as newcomers Brenton Thwaites and Odeya Rush. It also reveals some information on the movie's plot.
"When the elders need guidance I provide wisdom using memories of the past," The Giver explains in the over two-minute clip.
"Our world is different… there was more, much more," The Giver says while teaching Jonas about colors as well as the truth behind the morning injections. "You'll see all colors in time, all differences," he adds. "There are people who chose to do away with emotions, those morning injections take them away."
