Jennifer Lawrence told Variety in June during her “No Hard Feelings” press tour that she is “totally” open to reprising her “Hunger Games” role of Katniss Everdeen should the right opportunity arise. She added at the time, “If Katniss ever could ever come back into my life, 100 percent.”
But franchise producer Nina Jacobson and director Francis Lawrence aren’t counting on it. Why? Because Katniss’ story feels complete, and it would hinge on “Hunger Games” author Suzanne Collins wanting to revisit Katniss herself. If Collins doesn’t want to crack a story about Katniss’ return, then the film team won’t be bringing Jennifer Lawrence back.
“If Suzanne has something to say, then she’ll write a book about it,” Jacobson recently told Yahoo Entertainment while on the press tour of the upcoming release of the franchise prequel “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.”
“Honestly, as much as I love Katniss, I think her story is complete,” Jacobson added. “And I think that Suzanne feels that her story is complete. But if that changes, and Suzanne has something she wants to say, and it involves Katniss, then I would be thrilled. But really any chance to be back in this world, and lead with Francis and Suzanne, I would take regardless of who it was about.”
“What I’ve always loved is that Suzanne usually writes these things because she has a thematic idea she wants to explore,” added Francis Lawrence, who directed Jennifer Lawrence in every “Hunger Games” film sequel. “So I think that if for whatever reason she had some thematic idea that made sense to tell another Katniss story, I’d be in, and then I’m sure Jen would be in. But it really all comes from theme and idea, and Suzanne.”
“The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” is set more than 60 years before “The Hunger Games,” meaning there was never a chance that Jennifer Lawrence would reprise her star-making role of Katniss. The lead character in the prequel is Lucy Gray Baird, played by Rachel Zegler. Lucy is a tribute from District 12 who is mentored by a young Snow (Tom Blyth) for the 10th annual Hunger Games.
“Katniss was an introvert and a survivor,” Lawrence told Empire magazine in August about the big difference between Katniss and Lucy. “She was quite quiet and stoic, you could almost say [she was] asexual. Lucy Gray is the opposite. She wears her sexuality on her sleeve. She really is a performer.”
“She loves crowds,” Lawrence added of Lucy. “She knows how to play crowds and manipulate people.”
“The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” opens in theaters Nov. 17 from Lionsgate.