Francis Lawrence
"Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2" director Francis Lawrence, pictured here at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con in July, recently talked about the idea of expanding the movie universe with prequels. Getty

Now that “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2” is out, fans will flock to theaters all weekend to see how the epic saga comes to a close. But while most assume this to be their last visit to the world of Panem, the film’s director says he may not be done after all.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, “Mockingjay, Part 2” director Francis Lawrence admitted that, with the rich backstory created by author Suzanne Collins, there’s a lot of great material in "The Hunger Games" universe prior to Katniss Everdeen's arrival and therefore, potential for a prequel.

“The interesting part of the story for me is to go back 75 years earlier and see how everything became the way it is,” Lawrence said. “I’m sure if Suzanne were to get inspired and decide there’s another story that’s important for her to tell that exists within the world of Panem and whether about the Dark Days, another character, or another set of Games, whatever that could be, I’m sure it would be great. And I’d love to be involved, absolutely.”

The director went on to say that, if more movies within "The Hunger Games” universe were written, they probably would not focus on the character of Katniss Everdeen, played by Jennifer Lawrence in the films. While it may upset some fans, it makes sense as she would just be a young child in District 12 and largely insignificant to the plot. In fact, for most of the world-shaping events of Panem, she wasn’t even born yet.

The director seems to be waiting for a cue from Collins, the author of the film’s original source material, before he considers making any moves. Alas, the author recently acknowledged that the films might not have worked at all if it were not for the remarkable talent bringing the character to life on screen.

“There’s no ‘Hunger Games’ without Katniss. I hoped for someone good enough, and I got someone who exceeded all my expectations,” Collins wrote in a message to fans on Facebook. “Jennifer Lawrence, your emotional depth, luminous presence, and sheer power carry this story and I will always be grateful to you for opening the door and allowing it to come into your life.”

Still, it’s worth mentioning that Collins was thanking those who made the conclusion of the original story possible and probably wasn’t writing with any kind of expanded universe in mind. As a result, only time will tell if she will decide to bring audiences back to Panem at some point.

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