5 Things That Can Totally Ruin Upcoming The Hunger Games Prequel

Starring famous actors like Peter Dinklage and Viola Davis, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes will tell the story of how The Hunger Games came to become as massive and socially accepted as we saw them in the original trilogy — and how a young mentor became a ruthless and arrogant tyrant.

We've gathered five things that could potentially ruin the prequel — or make it great if executed correctly.

Poor portrayal of Snow

We already know Coriolanus Snow as the terrible and brutal dictator he becomes by the time Katniss Everdeen enters the ring.

The Ballad's writers have a tough call on this one: they can't make Snow too humane as the audience will react negatively knowing how many lives he'd destroy later, but they need to add to his character and properly explore how he came to become a monster, at the same time.

Too little Hunger Games

The Hunger Games franchise started as a battle-royal-ish action thriller, and the fans loved it for this approach. The name of the Games is in the title for a reason, after all.

But seeing that The Ballad wants to focus more on the behind-the-scenes action, it's entirely possible we'll miss out on the brutality and competition of the Games — and that would be terrible for the movie.

Mary Sue protagonist

As a main character, Katniss was really relatable and, well, real. She had obvious flaws, and her experience with the Games' audience was turbulent.

At the same time, The Ballad's protagonist, Lucy, is all too loveable: she's a talented singer and an easy-going social butterfly.

The public adores her right off the bat, and we can definitely see how this could damage the audience's sympathy for her.

Absent social context

The original Hunger Games did a great job of showing how the society of Panem feels toward the Games and how they are implemented in the day-to-day lives of the people.

But since The Ballad is set in the early years of the Games' existence, it has to provide a strong and realistic historical and social context for them; otherwise, the entire thing will feel unnatural.

Focus on personal drama

Once again, The Hunger Games didn't earn its fan base because of romance and personal drama; the series earned it by showing how the brutality of the Games affects people and reveals their true selves.

The Ballad claims to give us even more tragedy and drama than the original movies, but seeing as it wants to focus on the behind-the-scenes and the relationship between Snow and Lucy, it might take it in the completely wrong direction.