Francis Lawrence Explains Why He Returned For Hunger Games Prequel

Director Francis Lawrence helmed three of four movies in the Hunger Games franchise: Catching Fire, Mockingjay — Part One, and Mockingjay — Part Two. Eight years after the release of Mockingjay — Part Two, Lawrence returns to Panem for the prequel, The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes. Lawrence admits that he “might have baulked a little bit” if the prequel was filmed in the aftermath of the original trilogy.

“I spent three-and-a-half, four years of my life doing three movies all on top of each other. It was a lot,” Lawrence told Empire. “But with a break to cleanse my palate, it was really exciting to get a call from Suzanne.”

For a young adult franchise, The Hunger Games is quite violent, with teenagers forced to fight to the death for mass entertainment. Lawrence credits author Suzanne Collins and her commitment to writing about adult themes and real-world issues as a reason for rejoining the franchise.

“Sure, the books were targeted at teenagers,” Lawrence said. “But Suzanne didn’t write down to them. She was writing about relevant themes, real ideas, and hard things were happening. Sometimes, you look at other YA things and feel the YA-ness of them; you feel the high-school cafeteria politics in these dystopian worlds. I wouldn’t have signed on if this felt like that.”

What to Expect in The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes?

“The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes follows a young Coriolanus who is the last hope for his failing lineage, the once-proud Snow family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol,” the official synopsis reads. “With his livelihood threatened, Snow is reluctantly assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird, a tribute from the impoverished District 12. But after Lucy Gray’s charm captivates the audience of Panem, Snow sees an opportunity to shift their fates.”

Tom Blyth stars as Coriolanus “Coryo” Snow, the man who will one day become the tyrannical president of Panem. Besides Blyth, the cast includes Rachel Zegler, Josh Andrés Rivera, Hunter Schafer, Peter Dinklage, Viola Davis, and Jason Schwartzman.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes is directed by Lawrence from a script written by Michael Lesslie and Michael Arndt. The film is based on Collins’ 2020 novel of the same name. The Hunger Games prequel arrives in theaters on November 17, 2023.