Jennifer Lawrence has proven her excellence across multiple genres and roles and has been praised tremendously for her remarkable acting chops across all of those plotlines as well. But, to date, there are very few performances of hers that have garnered her as much acclaim and fame from fans worldwide as her portrayal of Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games film series has.
So to say that fans would do anything to see her returning to the saga as the fan-beloved protagonist wouldn’t be an exaggeration. But is Lawrence herself willing to return to the lore for an ungodly amount of money? Perhaps, through the upcoming installment in the franchise, Sunrise of the Reaping, as many fans might be wondering? Well, here’s all you need to know about that.
Is Jennifer Lawrence returning to the Hunger Games saga?
Ever since she last brought Katniss Everdeen to life in 2015 through Mockingjay – Part 2, fans have been dying to see Jennifer Lawrence reprise her iconic role for the screens. And the actress herself hasn’t hesitated to let her feelings known about the same as she touched down on whether she would want to return to the lore – which earned an ungodly salary sum – or not.
Per Celebrity Net Worth, while Lawrence reportedly made only $500,000 for the first titular film in the film series, her paycheck increased significantly with each new installment thanks to the saga’s tremendous success. Surprisingly enough (or perhaps, unsurprisingly, since it’s JLaw we’re talking about), her paycheck skyrocketed with the second film and actually kept on increasing until her final performance.
For Catching Fire, which was released back in 2013, the No Hard Feelings actress’ salary actually caught fire for the better for her as she reportedly earned a whopping $10 million for her iconic performance. Then in 2014 and 2015, for the two Mockingjay installments, i.e. Part 1 and Part 2, she reportedly took home a massive paycheck of a stunning $40 million.
Talking to Variety back in 2023, her enthusiastic response to the question was: “If Katniss ever could ever come back into my life, 100 percent.” Thus said, it’s evident that the X-Men: Days of Future Past actress is, still, as interested in the saga as ever. But when will she return? Could it be through the forthcoming flick that will soon have its book released – Sunrise of the Reaping?
As much as fans want that to happen, it seems unlikely. While Lawrence does intend to return, it’s more likely than not to not take place in this upcoming addition to the franchise as the events of the same are set decades before Katniss’ story. Thus, irrespective of how disappointing that sounds, Lawrence’s return might as well not be expected anytime soon, even for an ungodly salary as her previous paychecks.
What is Hunger Games: Sunrise of the Reaping all about?
For one that will be succeeding The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, this soon-to-be-released piece Sunrise of the Reaping will serve as the second prequel novel to the original The Hunger Games trilogy. That said, it doesn’t quite come as a surprise to acknowledge that this dystopian novel by Suzanne Collins is actually set 24 years before the events of the first novel.
While the novel is set to release in March this year, the movie is soon to follow with filmmaker Francis Lawrence at its helm, who revealed to Collider that he would reportedly start the film’s shoot this year. And while it would have them returning to Panem once again, this addition to the saga would tell the story of Haymitch Abernathy, the famous character from the original film series.
Here’s what Francis Lawrence said about returning to Panem and working on this installment: “I’m shooting that this year. So we’ve actually just sort of started prep. The book comes out mid-March. We’ve sort of got a research phase of prep. After London, I’m going to go on a scout, and then we start prepping in April, and we shoot this year.” The film would soon follow the book, in simple terms.
Per the official plotline, a young Haymitch will be seen participating in the 50th annual Hunger Games, aka the Second Quarter Quell, and will be more focused on the day of the reaping and his struggles as ever as he would have to navigate the deadly arena with increased danger due to the double tributes selected for this special Hunger Games.
Sounds as dangerous and exciting as a Hunger Games project.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise of the Reaping novel is set to release on March 18, 2025.
