The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is ramping up excitement around The Hunger Games franchise years after the original series’ conclusion, but future spinoffs should only happen under one condition. The Hunger Games brought Katniss Everdeen’s story to a close with Mockingjay – Part 2 back in 2015, and for a while, it seemed as though the beloved dystopian story had come to a definitive end. When author Suzanne Collins penned a prequel centered on President Snow, Lionsgate announced that The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes would receive a film adaptation, drawing viewers back into the world of Panem.
Depending on the success of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, the studio may realize there’s a demand for more Hunger Games spinoffs. To be fair, the original story introduced a number of supporting characters who could easily carry solo films. The world of Panem also boasts a dark and interesting history, much of which hasn’t been explored in depth. If Lionsgate goes forward with more Hunger Games movies, it will need to take care with its approach, especially considering the lack of source material to pull from.
The Hunger Games Needs Spinoffs That Aren’t About The Games
Although The Hunger Games movies introduce surviving tributes whose Games would be interesting to explore, Lionsgate should avoid making more spinoffs about the franchise’s deadly tournament. Both The Hunger Games and Catching Fire take place primarily in the arena, and even Mockingjay drags Katniss and Peeta back into the Capitol’s twisted Games. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes will bring viewers into an earlier iteration of the Hunger Games, highlighting how different things were during Lucy Gray’s competition. The contrast between Katniss’ and Lucy’s Games makes this prequel intriguing, but continuing the trend of accompanying characters into the arena could get stale fast.
There are only so many ways to make a Hunger Games tournament interesting, and the basic brutality of the franchise’s titular tournament is already clear from previous installments. There’s not much more to unravel about the Games. That’s why any Hunger Games spinoffs after The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes need to shift focus to Panem’s expansive history.
Panem’s History Is More Interesting Than The Hunger Games
With most movies in The Hunger Games franchise focusing on the Games themselves, fans of the series have hardly gotten to explore the world of Panem. The original story sheds light on Panem’s bloody history, which includes a war between the Districts and the Capitol — the very conflict that leads to the creation of the Games in the first place. It’d be far more interesting to dig into this backstory than to rehash the brutality occurring within the arena. There’s a whole political history that The Hunger Games needs to flesh out, and it’s exactly what future spinoffs should cover, assuming they’re green-lit at all.
The fall and disappearance of District 13 also falls under the umbrella of Panem’s history, and it’d make for a more compelling narrative than a supporting character’s experience in the Games. Given District 13’s role in the original Hunger Games trilogy, a movie or series chronicling its rebellion and downfall would connect to Katniss’ story easily. However, it wouldn’t tread the same path, offering a fresh perspective instead.
No Other Character’s Hunger Games Will Beat Katniss Everdeen’s
In addition to the fact that Panem’s history offers more interesting spinoff material than another round in the arena, there’s one more reason the Hunger Games can’t keep focusing on the eponymous tournament. Although digging into Haymitch’s or Finnick’s backstory would shed further light on the fan-favorite characters, their Games wouldn’t beat Katniss Everdeen’s. Katniss’ Games are compelling precisely because they serve as a catalyst for the rebellion that brings down the Capitol’s cruel punishment. Another tournament-centric spinoff would exist solely to give a supporting character more screen time. Fans will already know how the movie ends, and there’s no suggestion that anything important happens during these Games.
The only potential exception to this is the very first Hunger Games, which would be fascinating to explore from a historical perspective. Not only would the first iteration of the tournament prove very different from Lucy’s and Katniss’ experiences, but it’d offer insight into the Districts’ initial reactions to the event. It’s unlikely they went quietly into this relationship with the Capitol, so such a spinoff could expand the world of The Hunger Games in a way that’s similar to The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, making it a worthwhile endeavor.
