Will “The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes 2” be released? Here’s what it means about possible further ‘Hunger Games’ prequels

Fans are eagerly awaiting the theatrical release of “The Hunger Games” prequel “The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes,” which takes them back to the dystopian world of Panem and tells the story of the mighty President Snow. However, Snow is just one of the characters from the Hunger Games world whose past is of great interest to fans. And so the question always arises as to whether other fan favorites could get their own spin-off on the big screen – At the top of fans’ wish lists include Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson) and Finnick Odair (Sam Claflin).

The makers of the series ‘The Hunger Games’ have now tackled exactly this topic. Producer Nina Jacobson joins the conversation clearly that any prequel without Katniss [und somit Jennifer Lawrence] making ends meet is a big risk. It is therefore important to tell a story that can do justice to the franchise.

However, the producer does not rule out that there are more stories like this to be told: “Just like Lucie [in ‚The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes’] says: ‘I don’t sing because I have to. I sing because I have something to say.’ And that is exactly what it applies to [Romanautorin] Susanne [Collins].”

Franchises should not be exploited unnecessarily

Director Francis Lawrence adds each of Susanne Collins‘ The novels have provided a certain content so far and this should also be the case in further adaptations: “The original novels were about the consequences of war. And ‘The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes’ is about the state of nature. That’s what drives the stories – and why they are still relevant.”

For Lawrence, only a film adaptation based on Collins’ stories would be conceivable: “If Suzanne had another thematic idea that fits the world of Hunger Games – whether with unknown characters or familiar ones like Haymitch or Finnick or anyone else – I would be interested in being involved. But I don’t feel the need to just say, “I’d like to play Finnick’s games.” What would be the thematic undertones that make this story worth telling?

For now, no prequels about Haymitch and Finnick are planned

Haymitch Abernathy was the second and for a long time only living winner of the Hunger Games from the 12th district, where Katniss and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) also grew up. So he acted as a mentor to both of them during their matches. The two meet Finnick Odair during their return to the Hunger Games in “Catching Fire”. Finnick won his competitions ten years before these events at the age of 14.

To date, Suzanne Collins has not devoted any of her own novels to these characters – If any more ‘The Hunger Games’ prequels are made if a template exists, we’ll probably have to wait a little longer. However, it’s entirely possible that Collins could have been involved with the scripts, for example and thus incorporate her ideas without first publishing a novel.

If there are actually more prequels, they probably wouldn’t be direct sequels to “The Ballad Of Songbird & Snakes” – The story of Snow and Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler) currently consists of just one book, which is fully covered by the film adaptation. But there are plenty of other characters to choose from for backstories, perhaps some we won’t get to know until “The Ballad Of Songbird & Snakes”.

Even if the future of the franchise is still open, fans can at least look forward to the upcoming launch of “The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.” The sci-fi adventure will be released in German cinemas on November 16, 2023.