Two years after The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes was released, Jennifer Lawrence finally gives her verdict on the prequel.
While participating in Vanity Fair‘s Lie Detector Test series, Die My Love co-star Robert Pattinson asked Lawrence a series of personal and professional questions, in which her responses would be analyzed by an examiner. In one segment, the Oscar winner was asked a few questions related to The Hunger Games, all of which had brief responses.
Firstly, Pattinson was surprised to learn that Lawrence auditioned for Twilight, in which Kristen Stewart ended up portraying Bella Swan. After Lawrence stated she had no regret in not booking a role, he followed up by asking if she thought The Hunger Games was cooler than Twilight. Surprisingly, she answered, “No,” which the examiner confirmed: “Truthful.” However, Lawrence seems to indicate that this may be an undetected lie since she chuckles and says, “Breaking news, this machine is broken.” She also admits at the end of the test that she lied multiple times, but doesn’t specify which ones.
However, her remaining answers seem far more genuine. Pattinson asked Lawrence if she had seen the Hunger Games prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, and whether she liked it, to which she said, “Yes,” to both. Although she doesn’t elaborate, the Die My Love co-star concluded the Hunger Games portion by asking if her version of “The Hanging Tree” was better than Rachel Zegler’s, to which Lawrence quickly responded, “No, obviously not.”
Before becoming one of the most sought-out actors and eventual Oscar winner, Lawrence’s career skyrocketed when she portrayed the Hunger Games heroine Katniss Everdeen for four movies from 2012 to 2015. Even after a decade later, Katniss remains one of her most iconic roles to date, especially during the time when young adult dystopian movies were a trend.
Even though Lawrence’s response is brief, this marks the first time that the former Hunger Games star has given her thoughts about the prequel since its release in 2023. Although she has spoken about the film pre-release where she gave her well wishes to Zegler and Tom Blyth, she hadn’t given her review on the prequel until now.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes marks the first time that Lawrence didn’t appear in a Hunger Games movie, but that’s because the prequel took place during the 10th Hunger Games, 64 years before Katniss competed in her version. Although there had been rumors that Lawrence would have made a cameo, this turned out to be untrue.
Although Lawrence hasn’t portrayed Katniss in a decade, that may change by next year. The Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins wrote another prequel, focused on Haymitch Abernathy’s 50th Hunger Games. His story is one of the most-requested by readers of the series, which ultimately came true when Sunrise on the Reaping was published in March 2025. Alongside the announcement of the book, Lionsgate also confirmed a movie adaptation, which is set to be released next year.
Unlike The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, there is a chance that Lawrence, Woody Harrelson, and Josh Hutcherson could reprise their roles as Katniss, Haymitch, and Peeta, respectively, in the upcoming prequel. While Joseph Zada will inherit the role of Haymitch, the book does include an epilogue that fast forwards to an older Haymitch speaking to Katniss and Peeta as he reflects on his life and tragedy. While it’s a key part of the book, there has yet to be any confirmation of whether any of the trio will reprise their roles.
Lawrence and Harrelson have yet to address this matter since the book’s release. Hutcherson expressed his interest in reprising the role but knew nothing about whether the return was happening in Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. On the other hand, there could be some hope. While speaking with Variety in 2023, Lawrence was asked if she would be interested in reprising Katniss, saying: “Oh, my God – totally! If Katniss could ever come back into my life, 100 percent.” As of writing, the Haymitch prequel movie is currently filming.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping will be released in theaters on November 20, 2026.
- Release Date
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November 17, 2023
- Runtime
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157 Minutes
- Director
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Francis Lawrence
- Writers
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Michael Lesslie, Michael Arndt, Suzanne Collins
