Francis Lawrence Talks 'Hunger Games' Prequel And Updates On 'Constantine 2'

TV & Film

Nov 27

Francis Lawrence is well-known for bringing several installments of The Hunger Games franchise to life on the big screen. Most recently he directed a prequel film, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Lawrence discussed this prequel and how it creates a context for the franchise, as well as the current state of another project, Constantine 2.

Lawrence delved into the Forest Sequence at the end of the prequel, stating that it was his “favorite sequence in the movie.” He continued, “It’s where we really see Snow go through this series of emotions for the first time and descend into the darkness that we know will come with the philosophies of the later Snow.” It’s a pivotal moment for the character and his development ahead.

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Katniss Everdeen, the future revolutionary from District 12, is given a deeper context with Lucy Gray Baird’s character in the film. Lawrence explains a bit of the character’s legend and how it reflects in the future, “Rachel and I improvised [the curtsy bow] on the day, and it’s one of those things that now informs us when Katniss does it.” He described a bit of the context, “She probably heard a story about how 65 years earlier, some young woman got reaped and sang defiantly and did this curtsy. So Katniss is actually calling back to something from the past, as opposed to just making it up on her own.”

The Hunger Games franchise isn’t the only thing Lawrence is known for; the filmmaker was behind Constantine (2005) and is the director of the upcoming, highly anticipated sequel film. Regarding Constantine 2 and where it currently is, he explained:

“The regime at DC changed, and they’ve got their plans. But luckily, we managed to wrangle some control and started working on some ideas for Constantine 2, which we’re really excited about. It’s still the very beginning, as the strike put it on hold for a little bit. So we’re probably going to start getting back together after Thanksgiving, and dig back in to try and crack it.”

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is currently in theaters. A streaming date has yet to be announced; as it is a Lionsgate film, it will likely go to Starz and Peacock. The previous four Hunger Games installments can currently be streamed on Peacock. Constantine (2005) can be streamed through Amazon Prime.

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