Hunger Games director is open to making more movies in the world of Panem

The Hunger Games director Francis Lawrence has helmed every movie in the franchise since Catching Fire, the second installment, and he's returned to the series for the upcoming prequel – and he'd be up for even more movies, as long as there were solid, thematic ideas behind them. 

"I liked being part of the series originally because the stories are great," Lawrence said in a new interview with Entertainment Weekly. "But what was always gratifying was that they were always about something. Suzanne [Collins] always writes from a thematic foundation. The original ones were all about the consequences of war. [The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is] about the state of nature. That’s what makes them feel rich and not superficial, and I think it’s why they’ve stood the test of time, honestly."

He continued, "If Suzanne has another thematic idea that she feels fits into the world of Panem – whether that’s with new people [or] familiar characters [like] Finnick, Haymitch, whoever – I’d be really interested in looking at it and being a part of it. But I don’t have any pull of just going, 'I would love to do Finnick’s games.' He’s a great character, but what’s the thematic underpinnings that make it worth telling and relevant?"

Lawrence is back in the director's chair for new prequel, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which stars Rachel Zegler as a District 12 contestant in the 10th Hunger Games, and Tom Blyth as a younger version of Coriolanus Snow, who goes on to become the president of Panem in the original trilogy. 

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes arrives on the big screen on November 17. In the meantime, check out our guide to the rest of the year's biggest movie release dates.