“Everybody’s Thinking About” More Hunger Games Past Mockingjay – Part 2, Says Francis Lawrence

Most Hunger Games super-fans (Tributes? Jabberjays?) opt for bows and arrows when they dress up for conventions, but recent comments from The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 director Francis Lawrence may have some reaching for their pitchforks instead. According to the helmer, as the clock strikes one year from the final entry in the blockbuster franchise, there are already conversations taking place about how to keep moviegoers coming back to Panem.

Although Suzanne Collins has not written any Hunger Games books past Mockingjay, which concluded the trilogy, it’s honestly not that surprising that those involved with the movies want to push forward with further installments. After all, you can’t fault studio execs for wanting more of a franchise that is still opening to the tune of $275 million after three entries.

Whether there are still stories to tell, however, is a different question entirely. When speaking to MTV, Lawrence stated:

“Everybody is thinking about [expanding the franchise], and talking about it. I just think that one has to go into that world carefully. A huge part of what makes the stories great is that it was really built upon this idea of the consequence of war, and you have an amazing character like Katniss at the center of it. To just say, ‘Oh, we’re still in the “Hunger Games” world’ is really risky.”

Lawrence raises a great point – Katniss Everdeen is the rock-solid center of the Hunger Games franchise, and Collins concluded her story pretty definitively in Mockingjay. Without her, what else is there to explore in Panem? Lawrence continued:

“You need to make sure that you have something new to say. New characters need to be created that are just as compelling as Katniss. It’s a tricky thing, but I’m definitely open to talking about it, and I think everybody’s thinking about it. Everybody loves the world, and the ideas.”

What say you, Tributes? Can The Hunger Games really be The Hunger Games without Katniss? Luckily, we have a while to sit with that question – after all, Mockingjay – Part 2 isn’t out until next November. And if recent buzz about that fourth (and, up until this point, supposedly final) installment is any indication, fans may have their hands full just dealing with the emotional roller-coaster that film promises to be.