For the second time, The Hunger Games is switching main characters. For the first three books written by Suzanne Collins, which were then adapted into four blockbuster movies by Lionsgate, the YA series revolved around Katniss Everdeen and her love triangle with Peeta Mellark and Gale Hawthorne. Each entry chronicled their roles in the rebellion against the Capitol.
For the original Hunger Games movies, this meant Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth stepped into the lead roles. But the focus on Katniss, Peeta, and Gale didn't extend beyond the book trilogy. When it came time to tell the next story, the franchise turned its main villain, Coriolanus Snow, into the main character. The Ballad of Songbids and Snakes also introduced Lucy Gray Baird as a new protagonist.
When Lionsgate turned the book into a movie in 2023, Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler were cast as the stars. It became their responsibility to carry the franchise forward and expand the series beyond Katniss' life. Rather than follow a young Snow for more stories and answer burning questions about Lucy Gray's fate, Hunger Games has gone in another direction.
2026 sees the franchise change the main character again, with Haymitch Abernathy stepping up to the lead role in Sunrise on the Reaping, a new movie hitting theaters on November 20. Joseph Zada is set to play the younger version of the District 12 character previously portrayed by Woody Harrelson in a supporting capacity for the first four movies. Only now Haymitch is the star.
The shifting focus that the Hunger Games franchise has had is due to a variety of factors. But the biggest reason is that there are no more stories to tell with Katniss. The franchise has already told her complete story, showing her rise to become a symbol of a rebellion and get a happy life free of the tyranny the Districts used to be under.
There's no natural continuation of her story that doesn't involve the Hunger Games contest returning. Even though Katniss is returning for a cameo in Sunrise on the Reaping, that is not expected to pave the way for sequels about her, Peeta, and their children. So if Katniss is out of the picture, then any desire to explore Hunger Games more requires changing the perspective.
This has been accomplished through prequels, and so far, there has not been a character to follow for multiple entries. Snow and Haymitch each received a single book, and soon they'll each have one movie. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes had hopes of getting a sequel, but a book follow-up has not been written, and the movie adaptation's box office performance hinders chances of a live-action continuation.
It's possible that Hunger Games will keep switching its protagonists for future stories, with a Finnick prequel among the most requested stories that could expand the franchise. But the series also does not need to constantly find a different character to follow.
For example, Sunrise on the Reaping could be the first of multiple stories focused on Haymitch. Even though he never goes back into the arena after he won the 50th Hunger Games, he does step into the District 12 mentor role for the years after. Additional stories could be told about these experiences and how they helped put the pieces of the rebellion together before Katniss gave them a symbol.
There is also the chance to explore completely new characters for multiple movies. The franchise has only shown four of 75 Hunger Games, leaving lots of room to get creative with storytelling opportunities that can turn the series over to a new recurring lead.
As unlikely as it may seem, we also can't completely rule out additional Katniss-focused installments ever happening. A new trilogy that puts her children at risk as a new, power-hungry, evil president takes command could certainly come if Collins feels that is a story worth telling. If so, then The Hunger Games could switch protagonists again to put its original main character back in the spotlight.
