Hopes For The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes Sequel Crushed by, Well, Hunger Games

Summary:

• The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, the Hunger Games ’ prequel recounting the story of young Coriolanus Snow who later on will become the Panem’s President, ended on quite a sinister note that made fans wonder whether a sequel will follow.
• Despite the fans’ hopes, the movie itself proves that there’s no need to continue Snow’s story.
• As an alternative, there could be potentially good sequels that will be focused on the life of other major characters of the franchise.

The Hunger Games’ prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes released last November, gave a new fresh perspective for the franchise that ended back in 2015 — and fans are coveting more.

While Coriolanus Snow’s path towards the presidency in Panem was partially shown in the 2023 movie, there’s still a lot of the untold story concerning the time that passes between the prequel and the events of the original trilogy.

However, there’s a little chance that Snow’s further story will ever be as fascinating as its beginning.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes gave a major sneak peek into the future Panem President’s start of the career.

Portrayed by Tom Blyth, Snow at first appears as a student of the prestigious Academy that is obviously fighting with his own moral principles — young Snow doesn’t support unprecedented violence that his school is in favor for, but he still strives for studies in Panem’s best university and high career positions for which he desperately needs money.

His decisions are cemented in the movie’s final scenes where he isn’t that hesitating student, but already a villain that starts his ruthless path towards the all-encompassing power through the betrayal of his close friend and a failed romance that made him feel vulnerable.

The film’s finale doesn’t give any hints at what Snow will be capable of on his way to the President’s position, but such nuances also don’t feel very needed.

With the character’s arc completely finalized and even reinforced by his immoral decisions, it becomes more than obvious that Snow will choose quite the same methods during all the time between Lucy Gray Baird and Katniss Everdeen’s Hunger Games.

Thus, if The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes finale makes clear that Snow will continually opt for poisonings and the Hunger Games’ living on with even more tough rules, there’s absolutely no need for the film’s sequel that will show Snow’s further actions.

Instead, the franchise’s fans could switch their attention to other numerous and truly brilliant characters that indeed deserve to get their own sequel — in this case even bringing Haymitch or Finnick Odair’s names up would be enough.