Hunger Games fans want a prequel movie about Haymitch's backstory

23 November 2023, 15:45

Rachel Zegler & Tom Blyth Try To Name Every Hunger Games Tribute | The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes

By Katie Louise Smith

Haymitch beat a whopping 47 tributes to win the 50th Hunger Games and fans are desperate to see what his story would look like on the big screen.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes has well and truly re-ignited interest in the characters, history and lore of Panem – and now people want to see even more prequels brought to life on screen.

The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes tells the villain origin story of President Snow set against the backdrop of the 10th Hunger Games, and it does so incredibly successfully. Fans are now desperate to see another prequel written by author Suzanne Collins and Haymitch Abernathy's story is at the top of their wishlist.

Haymitch (played by Woody Harrelson in the original films) won the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the second Quarter Quell. It took place 24 years before Katniss' story, when Haymitch was just 16 years old.

Between the shock twists of the 50th Hunger Games, and the devastating aftermath of Haymitch's win, it's easy to understand why fans are calling for it to be the next entry in the Hunger Games franchise. [Spoilers ahead!]

What happened in Haymitch's Hunger Games?

If you're unfamiliar with Haymitch's games, here's a brief rundown of what happened...

The 50th anniversary of the games included a huge plot twist that shocked the districts. Four tributes from each district – two girls and two boys – would be fighting to the death in the arena instead of the usual two.

The games took place in a "breathtaking" meadow arena, that featured a deadly volcano hidden within a snowcapped mountain. Everything in the area was poisonous – water in the stream, flowers in the meadow, all the creatures – and the only way to secure safe food and water was at the Cornucopia.

Haymitch and Maysilee Donner, one of the other District 12 tributes, end up making it to the final five before Haymitch finds himself in a brutal 1 vs. 1 battle with a District 1 tribute. Haymitch wins due to a force field malfunction, and two weeks later, Snow kills his family.

50 tributes? With absolutely no choice but to make it to the Cornucopia? A chance to see deeper into Haymitch's character and understand more about him? We need it.

So, who would be the right fit to portray a younger version of the iconic Woody Harrelson character? Fans have already dream cast the role of young Haymitch.

In fact, there's a couple of names being thrown into the ring on social media, including Outer Banks' Drew Starkey, House of the Dragon's Tom Glynn-Carney and Harris Dickinson.

Offering an answer to the all important "which characters deserve to have their own spinoff" question, director Francis Lawrence explained why fans haven't seen the Haymitch and Finnick prequels yet.

"I get asked this a lot," he told The Huffington Post. "It’s hard for me to pick a character because what I love are themes, and that’s why I adore Suzanne’s books because she starts with a thematic idea and the story is born from that."

"Really, I have to wait for Suzanne to come up with a new theme, to have something to say, and then we’ll figure out a way to sort of weave it into this world. I know a lot of fans want something on the Haymitch games or the Finnick games, but without the substance, it starts to feel like they’re just kind of rehashes, if that makes sense."

Read more news about The Hunger Games here:

• Hunger Games' Jena Malone reveals Jennifer Lawrence was not actually there for elevator scene
• Does Lucy Gray die in The Hunger Games? Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes ending explained
• Hunger Games' Rachel Zegler explains how Lucy Gray is different to Katniss
• The Hunger Games is being adapted into a stage play in London
• Jennifer Lawrence is "100%" open to play Katniss again in a new Hunger Games movie

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