Is Jennifer Lawrence In The New Hunger Games Movie?

The Hunger Games franchise has a new addition with The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, but will Jennifer Lawrence make an appearance? The actor had her breakout role in Katniss Everdeen, the central character of the popular Lionsgate films. Lawrence concluded her time as the character in 2015 with The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 when Katniss got a happily ever after. Now, the prequel movie The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes brings audiences back to Panem yet again, but this time in the years that President Coriolanus Snow was a teenager.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes takes place 64 years before Katniss was reaped and follows a young Coryo Snow as he mentors the District 12 tribute, Lucy Gray Baird, in the 10th Hunger Games. This obviously means that the prequel film is set before most Hunger Games characters were born, so the characters will all be fresh faces. However, Lawrence’s icon status within the franchise means many will look out for her face as Katniss Everdeen. Unfortunately, this wouldn’t have been easy to work into the plot of Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

Jennifer Lawrence Does Not Appear In The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes

Since The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is set so long before Katniss was born, she obviously couldn’t have been part of the central plot. However, as seen in other prequel films like The Hobbit, where Elijah Wood briefly reprised his Lord of the Rings character, throwing a flash-forward scene to a different time and place in Panem’s history is always possible. Still, from beginning to end of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Lawrence’s Katniss is nowhere to be seen, and this was likely the best move possible for the prequel film.

The new Hunger Games movie follows the original film’s central antagonist, so it wouldn’t make much sense to start or end The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes with a flash-forward to Katniss’ time. The only real reason to do this would have been for the sake of getting Lawrence involved, and this easily could have been seen as pandering. Instead, the references to Katniss’ character throughout Snow’s story are far more subtle and artistically done, with Lucy Gray writing “The Hanging Tree” and the frequent references to Mockingjays. Ultimately, these were far better than a forced cameo.

What Jennifer Lawrence Has Said About The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes

Though Lawrence played no part in the making of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, she has been an eager supporter of the project. The now 32-year-old actor mentioned (via Screen Rant) that she felt “old as mold” at the idea of The Hunger Games already being continued with a new generation of actors. However, Lawrence has given Rachel Zegler, who plays the new District 12 female tribute in the prequel movie, her seal of approval.

In an interview on The Kelly Clarkson Show (via YouTube), Zegler described how she had finally had a chance to meet Lawrence, who was reportedly very kind and excited to meet her Hunger Games successor. Lawrence joked that the pair should get a picture of her strangling Zegler so everyone would know that she would never be replaced. Of course, this was all in good fun since Lawrence has been consistently good-natured about her experience working on The Hunger Games, her joy at the continued story, and her hopes that she could someday return to play Katniss once again.

Jennifer Lawrence Is Open To Returning For More Hunger Games Movies

Lawrence has had quite a career since her breakout role in The Hunger Games. The four films launched her into the limelight, and she has kept the ball rolling with memorable roles in films like Silver Linings Playbook and, more recently, the raunchy comedy No Hard Feelings. However, despite the years past and the career that continues to be promising, Lawrence has stated that she would be open to returning to the Hunger Games franchise.

When asked by Variety whether she would ever consider reprising her role, Lawrence enthusiastically replied, “Oh, my God – totally!” going on to say that if there were any way for Katniss to come back into her life, she would “100 percent.” Of course, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes proved not to be such an opportunity, but it’s impossible to tell what the future holds.