If another The Hunger Games film ends up coming to fruition, as many viewers are hoping for, it will have a massive problem when it comes to Katniss Everdeen’s return. Based on the series of novels by Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games follows a nationally televised event that has two young people from each of the 12 districts of Panem competing to the death. There have been four films, thus far, with much speculation and hope for a fifth one. The messaging of the dangers of power in the wrong hands and of war has proven to be impactful for audiences, who want to see more of the story unfold.
In particular, the story focuses on Katniss Everdeen who was immediately established as a brave young woman when she volunteered to take her sister’s place in the games. Viewers watched as she navigated the brutal and deadly competition, all while trying to hold on to her value and pave the way for others to be saved from the horrors that she faced. She proves to be quite skilled in the arena, especially in the areas of archery and hunting, which makes her a standout in the games. Neither the books nor the movies would have been the same without her, which creates a complex dilemma for her character if a fifth The Hunger Games movie ever ends up happening.
Katniss Everdeen Can’t Be The Lead Of Another Hunger Games Movie
If another Hunger Games movie ends up happening, there is one serious problem in regards to the franchise’s heroine that it will face. Katniss Everdeen cannot be the lead of another film, which would be a huge departure from the previous movies. Putting the character back in the arena would be unbearably cruel, given all that she has been through and the fact that she is now a mother. Even returning to the Hunger Games in a different scenario, like as a mentor, would be very strange and would go against all that is known about who Katniss is and what she stands for.
Hunger Games 5 Giving Jennifer Lawrence A Small Role Will Disappoint Fans
A fifth Hunger Games movie has an interesting conundrum in terms of casting Jennifer Lawrence. If she was brought back, it would be expected that she would have a large role. Audiences would want to see a lot of her, as they had in all of the previous Hunger Games movies. She has become an integral part of the franchise, and a fifth film would not feel the same without her.
Putting Lawrence into a smaller role would ultimately repeat one of the biggest problems that legacy sequel films have. Rather than the film positively contributing to and expanding upon the film’s current legacy, the film would end up tarnishing it. The film would most likely end up feeling like an excuse to simply drag out and milk the franchise, rather than a welcome addition to a beloved franchise. That is why The Hunger Games 5 needs to be extremely conscious about how it goes about bringing back any of the existing characters, especially Katniss.
Hunger Games’ Katniss Problems Are Why Jennifer Lawrence Shouldn’t Return
The best way for The Hunger Games 5 to handle this problem is to simply not have Jennifer Lawrence return. It doesn’t make sense to bring her back in a way that wouldn’t do the character justice, even though it may be disappointing to some viewers to not get the chance to see her on-screen again. There is no storyline that makes sense to bring her back for and having her just make a small cameo would be more disappointing than not including her at all. The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes was able to have massive success without Jennifer Lawrence because it completely focused on a different timeline, and viewers were able to make parallels to Katniss without having her actually be in the film.
That is what a future film should do as well. It should either explore another one of the past Hunger Games, like The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, or move to a future timeline. If the franchise fast-forwarded in the timeline past the events of Mockingjay, it would give audiences the opportunity to see what ways Panem has evolved and how it has stayed the same. It would also allow for the opportunity to introduce new characters, which would eliminate the need for a Katniss return. This would make for a captivating watch and would be a meaningful way to expand upon the franchise.
The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games is a multi-movie franchise starring Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen. The films are based on the young adult dystopian book series by author Suzanne Collins. The first film was released in 2012, followed by Catching Fire in 2013, Mockingjay Part 1 in 2014, and Mockingjay Part 2 in 2015. In 2023, the fifth film in the series was released, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
- Created by
- Suzanne Collins
- First Film
- The Hunger Games
- Cast
- Jennifer Lawrence , Josh Hutcherson , Liam Hemsworth , Elizabeth Banks , Woody Harrelson , Stanley Tucci , Donald Sutherland , Lenny Kravitz , Willow Shields , Phillip Seymour Hoffman , Rachel Zegler , Tom Blyth , Viola Davis , Peter Dinklage , Hunter Schafer , Jason Schwartzman
