Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games franchise is very much alive and kicking, as evident in the upcoming prequel film Sunrise on the Reaping. In fact, alum Josh Hutcherson is eager to return under one condition.
He notably played Peeta Mellark in the 2012 instalment, the male tribute representing District 12 along with Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss Everdeen. The actor expressed willingness to reprise his role to find out his and his family’s future; unfortunately, the source material for that is yet to be published.
Josh Hutcherson wants to reprise Peeta Mellark role in new The Hunger Games film
Josh Hutcherson’s career experienced a revival after he starred in Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games movie. Its immense success guaranteed two more sequels: Catching Fire and Mockingjay, the latter split into two parts.
The roaring popularity of the franchise paved the way for an onslaught of young-adult dystopian movies, but none of them did so well as The Hunger Games. Following the release of 2023’s The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, fans of the famed book series swung by theatres for a worthy return to Panem.
Now, the 32-year-old star gave fans a flicker of hope on his possible return to a sequel film when he said at the Dream It Con in Paris that he’s more than eager to wear Peeta’s shoes again (via frconventions on Tiktok):
I would happily play Peeta again. The story is incredible. The Hunger Games was incredible. I think Peeta’s an incredible person to get to bring to life. I’m curious to know what happens between when they have their family and when the story ends, just to understand what happened in the world, how they got to that place.
Hutcherson urged fans to talk to the author to write a new book about this, which isn’t impossible at all after Collins recently published the second prequel book, Sunrise on the Reaping. Without hesitation, the Bridge to Terabithia actor gleefully said, “I’m in. Sign me up.”
Will Suzanne Collins write a sequel to The Hunger Games trilogy?
Over the past few years, Collins only produced two prequel books. It’s highly unlikely, though, that a sequel will be written unless it is set in a very distant future where Peeta and Katniss have become icons of the past.
The risk of making a sequel only for new characters to go back to the arena will only waste the efforts of those who sacrificed their lives. It would also feel anticlimactic given how the last book in the trilogy ended.
As mentioned, a sequel where Peeta and Katniss will only appear as historical figures would work. Given the bloody rebellion that happened, it would seem that the people of Panem would have known better, so Collins will have to come up with an inventive narrative that will not repeat the mistakes of the past but also live up to the core of the franchise.
The Hunger Games is currently available to watch on Netflix.
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