There are now five movies in The Hunger Games film franchise, and while they have all had variations of success, it is now time for the famous dystopian series to make a change. The Hunger Games began as a young adult book series written by Suzanne Collins in 2008. The books were adapted into movies starring Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson starting in 2012. Later, in 2020, Collins released a new prequel book entitled “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” which has just recently been made into a movie starring Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler in 2023.
In general, The Hunger Games movies have done well with audiences. The first two movies in particular, The Hungers Games and Catching Fire were huge hits at the box office and among fans, while the second half of the franchise was less lauded. More recently, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes has reignited the public’s love for The Hunger Games franchise, and has led to many questions about whether it will continue with more movies. If The Hunger Games does continue, that would be incredibly exciting, however, the franchise must make one big change before it can go on.
District 12 Doesn’t Need To Be The Focus Of More Hunger Games Movies After Songbirds & Snakes
In order for The Hunger Games franchise to continue successfully, it can no longer be set in District 12. Throughout the last five Hunger Games movies, District 12 has always been at the epicenter of everything. District 12 is where Katniss is from, along with most of The Hunger Games cast like Peeta, Gale, Prim, and Haymitch. So, when Katniss is not in the Capitol, competing in The Hunger Games, she is usually in District 12. This trend continues in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, as Lucy Gray also calls District 12 home, and as a result, Coriolanus gets himself sent there to be near to her.
In reality, The Hunger Games franchise has only ever focused on three locations in all of Panem: District 12, the Capitol, and District 13. Although District 13 is interesting, it does not provide much in terms of visual excitement. Therefore, if The Hunger Games is going to continue with new movies, they cannot take place in District 12. While the Capitol is likely a location that will always come up, it is imperative that audiences are taken outside of 12 and given a chance to explore more of Panem, especially after The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
The Other Districts Can Give New Hunger Games Movies Fresh Locations & Characters
Luckily, this is not an ask that will be too difficult to fulfill. Districts 1 through 11 have almost never been touched by The Hunger Games movies, and any of these would be a great place to start. What is even better is that these districts all have stories attached to them. Not only does The Hunger Games introduce characters from each district via the games, but each district is known for a trade, such as District 4’s seafood or District 11’s grain. In the end, The Hunger Games has much to explore, and should not hold back in showing off all of Panem.
