Francis Lawrence speaks about the possibility of more Hunger Games films

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

In the upcoming issue of Empire magazine, director Francis Lawrence spoke a bit about THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY – PART 1 which hits theaters a little under a month from now. The Hunger Games films have turned quite a profit for Lionsgate (as evidenced by the final installment being split into two parts) and given that the Harry Potter franchise will see at least three spinoff films, Lawrence discussed whether or not something like that may be a possibility for the Hunger Games as well. He also cleared up some confusion regarding Philip Seymour Hoffman‘s scenes, and how the film was dealing with what hadn’t been shot yet.

Whether or not director Francis Lawrence thinks that Hunger Games universe can be expanded upon:

It’s a tough thing. It’s a weird thing. That world of Harry Potter, there’s a lot to that world that you can explain. You can understand the appeal of telling another story, but can you actually do it without Harry, Hermione and those characters? Will people care as much? And I guess you can say the same thing about the Hunger Games world. There are a lot of past games and a lot of this world, but without Katniss, is it the same? Part of what I like about the series is the connection to things we think about and talk about now. What’s the new version of that? That would be the tricky thing.

Regarding the scenes Philip Seymour Hoffman had left:

He had two substantial scenes left and the rest were appearances in other scenes. We had no intention of trying to fake a performance, so we rewrote those scenes to give to other actors… The rest we just didn’t have him appear in those scenes. There’s no digital manipulation or CG fabrication of any kind.

In regards to Hoffman, I’m really happy they decided not to go the route of computer generated imagery or a double. It looks as though he filmed enough to get by in the movie, and anything more I feel would be distracting. Regarding the news about further Hunger Games films . . . I agree with the director in that it is a “tough thing.” Harry Potter, similar to that of Star Wars or Lord of the Rings, has an entire world built in which one could explore. Now, I’m not saying Hunger Games doesn’t. However, the films themselves are far from the classics the Potter series turned out to be. Regardless of how you feel about Potter, it’s easily one of the most consistent series of all time. The Hunger Games, on the other hand, started out weak and seems to be building momentum. If they can come up with some truly unique and interesting stories and ditch the lame love triangles, I’d totally be down for more. Something tells me this franchise doesn’t have the legs, though.

THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY – PART 1 hits theaters on November 21.