One of the many desired Hunger Games prequels would center around the Second Quell when Haymitch Abernathy won. However, if Suzanne Collins were to write this theoretical novel and it was adapted for the screen, producers would run into one problem, thanks to The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. The 2023 dystopian action film took viewers back to the time of the 10th Hunger Games when Coriolanus Snow, played by Tom Blyth, was only 18 years old and a mentor for the Games. The prequel detailed the future antagonist’s origin story and further expanded the lore of this popular franchise.
Following the release of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (the book), many began speculating what the next possible prequel could be about. Some want to see Finnick Odair’s Games, while others are more interested in a Haymitch Hunger Games prequel movie. Nevertheless, the fourth installment in the Hunger Games film series set a precedent if and when Collins decides to write more stories taking place before Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark won the 74th Games, and logistics indicate that a film surrounding the 50th Games would face one obstacle.
A Hunger Games Haymitch Prequel Would Have To Recast President Snow Again
Given that Snow was 18 years old during The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, producers had to recast the role. The casting team couldn’t use the original actor, Donald Sutherland, who is now 88, so they hired Tom Blyth to play a younger version of Sutherland’s character in the prequel. But if a Haymitch prequel comes to fruition, another recast of Snow would have to take place.
A 16-year-old Haymitch won the Second Quarter Quell, aka the 50th Hunger Games, which featured double the amount of tributes. The competition occurred 40 years following the events of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and 24 years before the first Hunger Games movie, meaning that Snow was 58 when Haymitch won. Consequentially, Blyth would be too young to reprise his role, and Sutherland would be too old. Producers would need to look for a middle-aged actor to play President Snow in a Haymitch prequel. So, if this story is made, three actors would have portrayed Snow in the franchise.
Mags’ Hunger Games Win Is More Significant After Learning Lucy Gray’s History
Lucy Gray Baird’s experience in the 10th Hunger Games in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes makes Mags Flanagan’s win more important in the series.
Haymitch’s Hunger Games Prequel Could Not Just Avoid President Snow
The hypothetical Haymitch prequel couldn’t avoid recasting President Snow since he would be integral to the story. He was the leader of Panem during the 50th Hunger Games, which was significant because it was the Second Quarter Quell. It also wouldn’t make sense if Snow weren’t involved in the book or film adaptation due to what the original trilogy established. Following Haymitch’s controversial use of the force field surrounding the arena to win, Snow had his mother, brother, and girlfriend murdered. His grief and trauma turned him into the person seen in the first Hunger Games movie, and Snow played a significant role in his deterioration.
