Will There Be a “Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” Sequel? The Film's Creators Weigh in (Exclusive)
'The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes' leaves the door open for a potential sequel. Here’s what the cast and creators have said about making more 'Hunger Games' films
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The Hunger Games is back with the prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, but are more movies in the works? That’s the question on everyone’s mind after tuning in.
Based on Suzanne Collins’ novel of the same name, the new movie follows a young Coriolanus Snow as he is chosen as a mentor in the 10th Hunger Games and paired with a District 12 tribute named Lucy Gray.
As the movie takes place 64 years before the events of the original franchise, the prequel offers new details about how the Hunger Games we know came to be and Snow’s transformation into the villainous president of Panem.
Though we all know how Snow’s story ends in Mockingjay – Part 2, the ending of Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes leaves many doors open for the story to continue down the road.
So, will there be a sequel to The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes? Here’s everything the cast and creators have said about more films.
Warning: major spoilers for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes ahead.
What would a Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes sequel be about?
Murray Close/Courtesy of Lionsgate
The film’s ending certainly leaves room for many different sequels down the road. Notably, there could be a sequel about Lucy Gray and what happened to her after her confrontation with Snow.
Additionally, director Francis Lawrence and producer Nina Jacobson agree that a sequel about Tigris and her deteriorating relationship with her cousin Snow could be a really interesting storyline, especially as the final Hunger Games film reveals that Tigris comes to hate her cousin.
"I would love to see Snow's rise to power because he's just a great character — but Tigris, and understanding how this girl who loves him so and cares for him and becomes the woman that we saw in Mockingjay, that I'm really fascinated by," Jacobson told PEOPLE.
“Part of what's interesting is bringing her in here — selling her as this sister figure, the cousin, how much love they have between the two of them — and then you think of the time jump [to Mockingjay – Part 2] and how she's actually helping them go after him and kill him,” Lawrence added. “I think there's a really interesting shift there as well as obviously the physical transformation, too.”
What has the cast said about a Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes sequel?
Murray Close/Courtesy of Lionsgate
Hunter Schafer, who plays Tigris in the film, also would love to follow the character's story. “I want to know what happens, even if I wasn’t playing her,” she told Entertainment Weekly. “I want to know how we get there.”
Meanwhile, other cast members have shared their desire to work together again. Ahead of the film’s release, Rachel Zegler penned a sweet tribute to her costar Tom Blyth, noting that “witnessing his rise has been (and will continue to be) an honor unlike any other.” After congratulating him on the film, she ended the note, writing, “thank you for being on this journey with me as an impeccable lead, and an even better partner. let’s make every movie together.”
What have the creators said about a Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes sequel?
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Though both Lawrence and Jacobson have expressed their interest in doing more Hunger Games films, they have also noted that it would ultimately be up to the franchise's author Collins.
"I liked being part of the series originally because the stories are great," Lawrence told EW. "But what was always gratifying was that they were always about something. Suzanne always writes from a thematic foundation. The original ones were all about the consequences of war. [Songbirds and Snakes is] about the state of nature. That's what makes them feel rich and not superficial, and I think it's why they've stood the test of time, honestly."
Lawrence continued, "If Suzanne has another thematic idea that she feels fits into the world of Panem — whether that's with new people [or] familiar characters [like] Finnick, Haymitch, whoever — I'd be really interested in looking at it and being a part of it. But I don't have any pull of just going, 'I would love to do Finnick's games.' He's a great character, but what's the thematic underpinnings that make it worth telling and relevant?"
Jacobson echoed those same thoughts, noting that she would only sign up for another movie if Collins penned it. "If she has something to say, I want to hear it," Jacobson added. "I'm fascinated by her perspective. I will always want to follow her lead."
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