The final chapter in "The Hunger Games" cinematic saga finally hits theaters today. "The Hunger Games: Mocking Jay - Part II" is the fourth and final film in the...trilogy. Though the three previous installments have averaged roughly $771.5 million at the worldwide box office (cha-ching), Lionsgate Studios is finally calling it quits.
Or are they?
Despite the lack of any more source material, the studio is reportedly trying hard to continue the franchise and keep raking in all that box office money. Director Francis Lawrence even admitted that he would love to return to the series, albeit on one very important condition.
"If there were more stories, I think they'd have to come from [author] Suzanne Collins," Lawrence told Yahoo! Movies. "She has to have a new idea and themes that she's interested in and think up new stories to tell around the world of Panem. She's the mother of these characters and of this world and if she had another story she wanted to tell about something, something she wanted to write about, then I'd be in in a second."
There's no doubt that "The Hunger Games" has become a global phenomenon and that Jennifer Lawrence's Katniss Everdeen has become a trailblazer for strong female characters headlining their own franchises. But it's unknown if Collins is open to writing additional stories in her series. Obisouly, there is quite a big demand for it and likely a nice paycheck waiting for her should she choose to continue.
Presumably, the studio would have to find a new leading lady for a continuation of "The Hunger Games" series. Lawrence appears to be franchise-fatigued at the moment, as she will reportedly end her run as Mystique after Fox's "X-Men: Apocalypse" premieres in 2016. As an Academy Award- winning actress who has been nominated three times in the last four years, we can't really blame her for wanting to step away from the mainstream blockbusters for a moment.
What do you think? Do you want to see more "Hunger Games" movies? Let us know in the comments section below.
