Jennifer Lawrence Gives Her Verdict On First Hunger Games Prequel 2 Years After Release

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It’s been two years since The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes came out, and I was so excited to finally hear what Jennifer Lawrence thinks of the prequel! As a big fan, I’ve been waiting for her take on it.

During a recent interview with Variety, Robert Pattinson, who acted alongside Jennifer Lawrence in Die My Love, asked her a variety of personal and career-focused questions. Lawrence, an Academy Award winner, also answered a few quick questions about The Hunger Games.

Pattinson was surprised to find out that Jennifer Lawrence had tried out for the role of Bella Swan in Twilight, a part that ultimately went to Kristen Stewart. Lawrence said she didn’t regret missing out, and Pattinson then playfully asked if she thought The Hunger Games was a better series than Twilight. Surprisingly, she answered “No,” which the lie detector test confirmed as the truth. However, Lawrence hinted that this might actually be a lie, smiling and joking that “the machine is broken.” At the end of the test, she admitted that the machine hadn’t caught all of her lies, though she didn’t say which ones they were.

Her later answers felt much more sincere. Pattinson asked Lawrence if she’d watched The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, the Hunger Games prequel, and if she enjoyed it. She simply replied, “Yes” to both questions. Though she didn’t say much more, Pattinson, her co-star in Die My Love, finished talking about The Hunger Games by asking if she thought her rendition of “The Hanging Tree” was better than Rachel Zegler’s. Lawrence quickly answered, “No, obviously not.”

Jennifer Lawrence became a major star after playing Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games films from 2012 to 2015, a role that eventually earned her an Oscar. Even now, over a decade later, Katniss remains one of her most memorable characters, especially considering the popularity of dystopian young adult movies at the time.

Despite being short, this is the first time Jennifer Lawrence has shared her opinion of the Hunger Games prequel since it came out in 2023. She previously offered good wishes to the stars, Rachel Zegler and Tom Blyth, before the film’s release, but hadn’t given a full review until now.

The movie Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes was the first Hunger Games film to not feature Jennifer Lawrence. This is because the story is a prequel, set 64 years before the events with Katniss Everdeen, during the 10th Hunger Games. Despite rumors, Lawrence did not make a cameo appearance.

It’s been ten years since Jennifer Lawrence last played Katniss Everdeen, but that might be about to change. Suzanne Collins, the author of The Hunger Games, recently released a new prequel novel focusing on Haymitch Abernathy and his experiences in the 50th Hunger Games. Fans have long asked for Haymitch’s story, and it finally arrived with the publication of Sunrise on the Reaping in March 2025. Along with the book announcement, Lionsgate confirmed a movie adaptation will be released next year.

There’s a possibility Jennifer Lawrence, Woody Harrelson, and Josh Hutcherson might return as Katniss, Haymitch, and Peeta, unlike with the recent prequel, Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Although Joseph Zada is playing the younger Haymitch in that film, the original book has a section where an older Haymitch talks to Katniss and Peeta after the war. However, it’s still unconfirmed whether these actors will be back for that scene, or any other part of the movie.

Neither Lawrence nor Harrelson has commented on the possibility of returning for another Hunger Games movie, but Hutcherson has said he’d be interested in reprising his role. However, he doesn’t have any information about whether a new film, Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, is actually happening. Currently, the newest prequel movie is being filmed and is expected to be released on schedule.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping will be released in theaters on November 20, 2026.

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2025-11-09 07:48