Summary

• Katniss and Peeta's story has been told, making way for new main characters in a potential fourth sequel to The Hunger Games series.
• The introduction of Katniss and Peeta's children, along with Finnick's son, could provide fresh, unique perspectives in a new Hunger Games movie.
• The offspring of previous victors as main characters in a fifth Hunger Games film would bridge old and new while exploring new storytelling possibilities.

A follow-up to 2015's The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 would, no doubt, be a welcome addition to the series, and it already has the perfect main characters. One of the most successful film franchises of the twenty-first century, the five Hunger Games movies have a combined box office total of $3.3 billion (via The Numbers). The series currently consists of the original 2012 Hunger Games movie, its three sequels, and a 2023 prequel, all of which are based on works by Suzanne Collins. If a fourth sequel film was to happen, its main characters have already been introduced.

The first four Hunger Games installments center on Katniss Everdeen, a young woman chosen as a tribute to battle it out in gladiatorial-style fights to the death. Over the course of the series, Katniss falls in love with fellow Hunger Games competitor Peeta Mellark. Katniss and Peeta's relationship forms the emotional backbone of the franchise. However, with their story already told, a new Hunger Games film would need to introduce fresh main characters. Thankfully, the perfect candidates were already secretly introduced 9 years ago.

Hunger Games 5's Main Characters Can't Be Katniss & Peeta Again

Their Story Has Already Been Told

Panem is a big place and the Hunger Games universe is one that is full of storytelling possibilities.

When they were first released, the Hunger Games films catapulted actress Jennifer Lawrence to international fame. As Katniss Everdeen, the bow and arrow-wielding District 12 tribute, Lawrence was very much the face of the franchise. Like in the books, Katniss is the main character, and it's her story that the audience follows. Her fight for survival, her relationship with Peeta, and her quest to bring down Coriolanus Snow's tyrannical regime are all focuses of the original series. However, Panem is a big place and the Hunger Games universe is one that is full of storytelling possibilities.

Katniss and Peeta's story reached a satisfying conclusion at the end of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2, when the pair settled down to raise a family and finally have the happy ending they deserved. To undo this ending would be unwise and would take away from the power of those final moments. Instead, therefore, it makes sense for a sequel to introduce new Hunger Games characters. After all, the franchise has already proven that this can be done with the 2023 prequel movie The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.

Hunger Games 5 Could Make Katniss, Peeta, & Finnick's Children The Leads

Mockingjay - Part 2 Confirmed They Were Parents

Mockingjay - Part 2's coda shows Katniss and Peeta as parents to two children; a girl and a boy. Due to their late introduction into the series, not a lot is known about the children. Not even their names are revealed in either the novels or the films. It's safe to assume, however, that both children would have some of their parents' best qualities, such as bravery, honor, and determination. It's for these reasons that Katniss and Peeta's offspring would be the perfect main characters in a new Hunger Games movie.

It's not just Katniss and Peeta who become parents at the end of the original Hunger Games series; Finnick does too. Though Finnick, a fellow Hunger Games champion first introduced in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, is killed during the events of the last film, his wife, Annie, gives birth to a baby boy. Along with Katniss and Peeta's children, Finnick's son could hypothetically be the focus of a fifth Hunger Games movie. It's implied that Katniss and Peeta kept in contact with Annie following Mockingjay's conclusion, meaning that Finnick's son may even have grown up with Katniss's children.

Why Previous Victors' Children Being Hunger Games 5's Main Characters Could Work

They Could Take The Franchise In A Whole New Direction

Establishing the offspring of previous victors as the main characters of a new installment in the series is a good idea because it bridges the gap between the old franchise and a potential new one. The characters would provide a connection to the first four Hunger Games movies while also bringing something fresh. It means that the option is open for some original cast members, such as Katniss and Peeta, to return in small ways. However, it would also shift the focus to a whole new generation of characters, each of whom would bring something unique to the franchise.

Writer Suzanne Collins currently has no plans to write any new Hunger Games books.

Additionally, the prospect of Katniss and Peeta's children being the ones to continue the story of the Hunger Games opens up a wealth of storytelling possibilities. For instance, it would be interesting for a future Hunger Games film to explore the impact of Katniss, Peeta, and Finnick's actions and what they meant for their children. It's possible that, following the revolution, Panem became a worse place, and a new generation of fighters are forced to navigate an even more barbaric world than the one their parents grew up in.

Source: The Numbers