On June 6, fans of the “Hunger Games” series woke up to find out that Suzanne Collins would be coming out with a new book: “Sunrise on the Reaping.” According to Scholastic, the book is set during the 50th Hunger Games.

The movie adaptation is slated to come out in 2026, and I just hope that it doesn’t water down any of the real commentary that the book makes, as so many adaptations have done up to this point. 

For those who aren’t familiar with the series, it follows a teen named Katniss Everdeen as she volunteers to go into the titular “Hunger Games,” an annual televised competition where two children from each of the 12 districts are chosen and forced to fight each other to the death. It shows how she becomes the face of the rebellion against the Capital, the wealthy center of Panem, responsible for implementing the Games.

When the first “Hunger Games” movie came out, it felt very true to the novel. The grainy, dark footage and shaky camera work made the movie feel more like a documentary of the Games. It forced viewers to feel the grittiness of the districts, and made them feel as though they were running away from danger with the tributes in the arena. Essentially, the first movie very much felt like it was coming from the perspective of the poor districts. 

As the series gained even more popularity, the budget for each new movie grew. It caused a significant shift in how the story was being told and received, with a bigger emphasis on special effects and marketing. The most blatant examples of this are the “Mockingjay” movies.

The simple fact that they split the final book into two movies is already problematic because the studios knew that the series had fans. So, having two movies guaranteed that they could make more money–rendering them cash-grabs. 

“Mockingjay Part 1” displays glimmers of authenticity, but they’re overshadowed by the heavy marketing and fan culture. When Katniss sings the “Hanging Tree” song–a seemingly simple tune, that becomes a powerful tool for the rebellion–it is powerful. The scene starts with only her voice, but then the score and voices of people from the poorer districts, farther from the Capital, join in as acts of rebellion play out on the screen. 

Soon after the movie premiered, though, a radio edit with a more danceable beat was made. It debuted and stayed on the Hot 100 for a few weeks, according to Billboard, and as a result, it was a big part of the marketing. The edit clashed with the actual message and intention of the song, but because of its popularity, it became something that the Capital would’ve done to strip the song of its power. 

“Mockingjay Part 2” is almost worse because it was completely unnecessary. There’s no point to the movie other than to show off the big-budget special effects and to wrap up the story from the previous movie, especially since most of the movie is just the characters moving slowly through the booby-trapped Capital and talking. The only important parts happen in the last 45 minutes or so of the movie.  The movie adds no real depth or commentary about the politics, power plays or ethics involved in dealing with the people who’ve abused their power, like the books do. 

In 2020, years after the original trilogy, Collins released “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.”

This book follows President Snow, the head of the Capital from the original trilogy, when he was a teenager. It shows how Snow became the powerful villain that readers know him as, using his charm and manipulation skills to advance himself during a pivotal year of the Games, where he is responsible for its rise in popularity. 

The movie adaptation came out in 2023 and is the worst movie adaptation thus far. 

The movie contradicts the book at every turn. The book isn’t meant to be a tragic backstory for Snow, rather, it’s meant to be a chronicling of how Snow has always been a power-hungry and self-righteous–yet charming person who is willing to do anything to get what he wants. Even his relationship with Lucy Gray is meant to show what a bad person he is.

So, of course, the movie depicts Snow in a sympathetic light. It tries to make Snow appear guilty for some of his actions, when in the book, he never feels guilty. For example, when Sejanus, one of the main characters, is killed in the book, Snow puts on a front of appearing guilty, but the narrator clues readers in that he isn’t. In the movie, though, Snow appears to genuinely feel guilty after going through Sejanus’ things. 

Snow’s relationship with Lucy Gray is also completely misconstrued and romanticized. This is largely due to the fan culture. Fans found the actor attractive, which was compounded by the fact that Snow is charming. So, whenever Snow does something questionable in the relationship, fans attribute it to his being jealous or overprotective, rather than toxic. The novel very clearly shows how Snow considers Lucy his property rather than a partner, but the movie doesn’t execute this well enough, allowing fans to explain away his bad behavior.

This movie presents a different problem than the ones from the original trilogy. In the original movies, the production was working against the plot to distract viewers from the horror and reality of the Games, but the message was still pretty consistent throughout. The budget and production is not the issue with “Ballad”–the plot is. It completely changes some of the key elements of the novel, thus changing how people perceive Snow.

When I was watching the trailer for the “Ballad” movie, I stumbled across a comment saying something along the lines of: “I hope they keep making more of these.” 

I had to put my phone down and take a moment because that very comment is what Collins is trying to warn against with the series. The more we crave to see these movies, the closer we are to becoming the Capital, which takes pleasure in watching children kill each other. 

The movies present a superficial version of the Games and the messages of the novels. It cuts out a lot of the social commentary and plays up certain aspects of the storyline such as the romances–or it distracts from the real issues being discussed with big budgets and special effects. 

Understandably, I was weary when Collins announced a new book. I trust what she has to say–I just don’t really trust how it will be portrayed. 

So, please–let’s read the books, not just watch the movies. Please let’s take the time to critically analyze the books and movies to see what’s really being said. Please let’s realize the importance of these narratives. Just please don’t let us become the Capital.