Producer Nina Jacobson reveals how the Hunger Games will be different in the prequel film when compared to the original movies. Starring Jennifer Lawrence, The Hunger Games movies brought Suzanne Collins’ dystopian YA series to life in epic fashion, with all four films grossing nearly $3 billion worldwide. The series follows Katniss Everdeen (Lawrence) after she volunteers to take her sister’s place in their country’s annual Hunger Games, a competition that sees children fight to the death, and becomes a reluctant symbol of resistance. The final film in the franchise, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, arrived in 2015.
Thanks to Collins’ new novel, however, the Hunger Games franchise is getting new life. Earlier this year, Collins released the prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Set years before Katniss’ story, the book follows a young President Snow (Donald Sutherland in the films) well before he becomes the leader of Panem. During the 10th Hunger Games, Snow serves as a mentor for District 12’s tribute, Lucy Gray Baird. Even before The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes hit bookshelves, Lionsgate announced its intention to adapt it for the big screen.
Most details about the upcoming Hunger Games prequel film are a mystery, but Jacobson was able to reveal some things during the franchise’s New York Comic-Con panel. Undoubtedly, the Games themselves are a particular point of interest among fans, and Jacobson shed some light about how they’ll be different this time around. It largely comes down to the time period in which they will be set, and how they’ll be viewed. Jacobson said:
Well it is very early on, they do take place in very different times. This is the 10th Hunger Games as opposed to Catching Fire’s 75th… I think that the Hunger Games are considerably less glitzy than they ultimately become. So I think there’s a lot of fun in that and seeing what they used to be and that that will be interesting. And I think that seeing a Capitol character with a point of view that takes you through a good part of the story is something we’ve never really done. We’ve had great Capitol characters, but we’ve only really ever seen them through the eyes our district protagonist, we’ve never really seen the world through the eyes of a Capitol character – especially Snow.
As horrifying as they are, the two Hunger Games shown in the original films were jam-packed with spectacle, thrills, and impressive visuals, particularly in the case of the 75th Games in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. As Jacobson pointed out, the Games shown in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes won’t be quite as big as they are in the original films, so it’ll be interesting to see how director Francis Lawrence chooses to depict them. Those who have already read the prequel novel might have some ideas of their own; they’ll have to decide if the film is a successful adaptation.
Additionally, seeing the Games from an entirely different perspective is bound to help them stand apart from what’s come before. The Hunger Games series was always shown from Katniss’ point of view, but this time, audiences won’t even watch them from the eyes of a Tribute. While Snow is far from the relatable, positive protagonist audiences are used to, framing the story from his side will make for a unique tale. To succeed, the Hunger Games prequel will need to differentiate itself from the previous films, and it sounds like there are already plenty of opportunities to do so.
