Jennifer Lawrence won’t be returning as Katniss Everdeen, say ‘Hunger Games’ producers

Producers behind The Hunger Games films have cast doubt on Jennifer Lawrence potentially making a return as Katniss Everdeen.

Speaking ahead of the upcoming prequel spin-off The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes, the film series’ producer Nina Jacobson explained how Lawrence’s return would depend on whether original author Suzanne Collins writes a new novel involving her character.

“If Suzanne has something to say, then she’ll write a book about it,” Jacobson told Yahoo Entertainment. “Honestly, as much as I love Katniss, I think her story is complete. And I think that Suzanne feels that her story is complete.

“But if that changes, and Suzanne has something she wants to say, and it involves Katniss, then I would be thrilled. But really any chance to be back in this world, and lead with Francis [Lawrence] and Suzanne, I would take regardless of who it was about.”

The Hunger Games series spans three mainline books, which were adapted into four feature films starring Lawrence.

A film adaptation of Collins’ 2020 prequel novel The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes is released in cinemas on November 17. The film stars Tom Blyth as a young Coriolanus Snow (originally played by Donald Sutherland) on his path to becoming the leader of Panem.

Francis Lawrence – unrelated to Jennifer Lawrence – who returned to direct the prequel similarly said that he’d be up for returning to Katniss if Collins had “some thematic idea that made sense to tell another Katniss story”.

Earlier this year, Lawrence said that she would “totally” be up for reprising the role if she had the opportunity.

“Oh my God – totally!” she told Variety when asked about returning to the franchise. “If Katniss could ever come back into my life, 100 per cent.”

Following The Hunger Games, Lawrence has starred in 2017 psychological horror Mother!, Don’t Look Up and 2023 comedy No Hard Feelings.

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