The upcoming Hunger Games prequel movie is set to focus on President Snow's origin story, but the untold story of Hunger Games champion Mags would be a much more interesting topic. Written by Suzanne Collins, the Hunger Games series evolved from a Battle Royale-style sci-fi fight to the death into a sprawling, engaging saga of survival, endurance, and community. The upcoming Hunger Games prequel will face a challenge in living up to the original series, as the films were hugely successful in spinning the simple story of a teen death match into an action-packed meditation on power, poverty, and revolution as Katniss and co. rose and rebelled against the Capitol.
I Am Legend director Francis Lawrence has already confirmed he'll return to the director's chair for an upcoming adaptation of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, a prequel to the phenomenally popular series. The film, adapted from Collins' novel of the same name, will focus on the early life and gradual fall from grace of President Snow - and enthusiasm from Hunger Games fans has been notably muted. Snow is Panem's monstrous dictator and the primary antagonist of the original series, so is he really the character whose story should be focused on?
Related: What To Expect From The Hunger Games Prequel Movie
A Hunger Games prequel that focuses on the young president Snow would humanize a character who dehumanized countless people throughout the original series. Snow is portrayed as a monster and a relatively uncomplicated one, whose story doesn't need to be dwelled on, as it goes against the spirit of endurance against the odds and resilience in the face of adversity that the series embodies. In comparison, the story of Mags becoming the eleventh victor of the titular trials could have distilled the ethos of the Hunger Games into an intense survival thriller, taking it back to the original hook of deadly gladiatorial combat.
Reliable screen veteran Donald Sutherland offered an appropriately icy, intense interpretation of the character in the Hunger Games film adaptations, but no matter who the prequel casts as President Snow, the character's backstory doesn't do much to deepen his motivations. Born into privilege but soon falling on hard times, Snow struggles to succeed at the cost of his soul. There are action sequences and a tragic romance, but ultimately it's a familiar plot focused on a powerful character's descent into evil instead of telling the story of his countless victims. Readers aren't shown a side of Snow they haven't already seen, with the prequel instead dwelling on his moral deterioration.
A more fitting story for a Hunger Games prequel would be the tale of Mags' victory in the eleventh Games. Despite being a kindly old woman by the time she's introduced in the novels, Mags Flanagan was once a resourceful and scrappy survivalist who managed to make it through the Games with sheer ingenuity. Her story makes for a better embodiment of the central theme of the series than Snow's prequel, which goes against Katniss' story of survival against the odds and hope's refusal to die in darkness. In comparison, Snow's predictable start of darkness serves to reinforce the idea that behind every fascist is a cliche backstory justifying their murderous reign of terror.
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