Reading The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes made me realize how much I missed this world. I also developed even more of an appreciation for the richness of The Hunger Games. Suzanne Collins created a universe where so many Hunger Games characters could make riveting protagonists, especially some of the corrupt characters.
I never thought I would enjoy a book about Coriolanus Snow. He is a character that we all hate. Yet, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes showcases the complexity of his character even at a young age. It additionally adds fascinating threads to how he becomes this evil man that we see in the original Hunger Games trilogy. If the franchise continues (in book or film form), I need to know the stories of a lot more Hunger Games characters.
Haymitch Abernathy
Haymitch is such a complex, dark, tragic, and often funny character that he would be the perfect subject for a standalone book. Haymitch, like most -- if not all -- of The Hunger Games characters, has a very tragic origin story. It would surely be a very dark tale but engrossing to know the many tragedies that shut him off from the world.
Previous Hunger Games books and movies give some insight into his life story, but we need to know more. This scene-stealing Hunger Games character has many layers that need exploring. A Haymitch book could also continue to showcase what Snow becomes since the events of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. His story could also help emphasize the importance of Katniss to the future revolution.
Finnick Odair
Finnick’s death scarred us all. He’s such a tragic character who hid his pain well. His story becomes even more heartbreaking when you know he almost had a happy ending with his wife and child. A Finnick book could span years. It could show his Hunger Games victory in the 65th Hunger Games and how his mentorship led to his love story with Annie Cresta.
In general, Finnick is an interesting character because he became popular due to his attractiveness. His story offers a fascinating concept: how would this type of support play out? Would he experience the same sort of fandom support as a pop star? Was life during the Hunger Games slightly better because of his adoring fans? How did he mentally survive what Snow forced him to do? There is so much that can be explored with Finnick’s legacy.
Tigris Snow
We learn a lot about Tigris through Coriolanus in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. However, we know eventually their close bond ends and Coriolanus goes full President Snow evil. A Tigris movie could take place a few years after the events of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. This would allow further development of Snow’s early life before he became a monstrous and notorious person.
It also allows us to see Tigris from her perspective. She is one of the few characters that appears in the trilogy and prequel. This makes her a crucial character to see the evolution of Snow and the Hunger Games. Tigris's appearance takes such a dramatic turn, so I am curious to know her evolution through the decades. If this potential book happens, then a movie version could use the cast of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. It could act as a sequel.
Johanna Mason
Johanna won the 71st Hunger Games, which was only a few years before Katniss and Peeta’s victory. This means her story could slightly interlink with the original Hunger Games trilogy. This would give readers and viewers a bit of a look at the events transpiring a few years before the big ones.
Additionally, some of the characters we grew to love in the trilogy could make an appearance. For example, we could hear commentary from Johanna on Haymitch’s terrible mentor skills to his District 12 tributes. Johanna is clearly a little bit mad but also very clever. Like Haymitch, she seemingly lost a lot of loved ones because of the Capitol. Johanna's story could further showcase the psychological turmoil the Capitol put on its victors.
Mags Flanagan
Mags won the 11th Hunger Games. This one happened right after Lucy Gray’s victory. This makes her one of the oldest surviving Victors, so I want to see her perspective of the increasingly brutal and corrupt games. She knows the most about how Snow influenced them and his rise to power.
Because Mags trained Finnick, her story could also overlap with his story. A potential Finnick book could also take her perspective and show the mentor life and the tribute life. Mags is a character with so much knowledge of this world. Therefore, I want to know her struggles, perspectives, and experiences because of the Hunger Games.
Effie Trinket
Elizabeth Banks is probably one of the few original Hunger Games cast members who could return for a future movie. I believe this because Effie is probably most intriguing once she takes her job at the Capitol. It would be interesting to see Effie’s life and attitude before meeting Katniss.
I adore Effie as a character so I would love to see more layers and depth added to her. Anyone who could eventually realize the corruption of the Capitol has to have some kindness and generosity in their heart. She may have been a really good person despite the Capitol’s influence. We can follow Effie as a young girl to her initial involvement with the reaping.
Cinna
Cinna is one of my favorite Hunger Games characters. I always felt like the movies didn’t show enough of his importance in making Katniss shine. Her wardrobe played a huge part in her popularity and symbolism in the revolt. A Cinna book or movie could right this injustice. Additionally, he’s a character that I felt we only knew in his relation to the Hunger Games.
Therefore, Cinna is an open canvas. Collins could go anywhere with Cinna’s backstory. We could also see more of his involvement with the plan to overturn the Capitol.
Dr. Volumnia Gaul
Dr. Gaul is pretty much psychotic throughout The Hunger Games: A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. I want to know how someone becomes that evil. Additionally, Gaul was around during the first Hunger Games. It would add layers to the story to know more about how the first game unfolded. The behind-the-scenes stuff and meeting the first victims of this deadly game.
Reading about Hunger Games 10 adds such an engrossing element to A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. It helps highlight the games’ evolution. Therefore, seeing even earlier games could be very captivating storytelling, especially from the perspective of a character seemingly detached from all of it. I wouldn’t mind living in Gaul’s twisted mind for a few hundred pages or a two-hour-plus movie.
Since Suzanne Collins seems to enjoy The Hunger Games franchise, she could potentially write more books. Also, with the box office success of The Hunger Games: A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, more Hunger Games characters could get their movie. I don’t just want more Hunger Games stories, I need them.
