Although she’s out stumping for her latest David O. Russell collaboration, Jennifer Lawrence isn’t exactly shoveling dirt over the corpse of the YA franchise that made her a huge star. While at the premiere for Joy, Lawrence was asked for her thoughts on Lionsgate’s intentions to keep churning out The Hunger Games movies, even if it means going back to a pre-Katniss Everdeen time. The actress told Variety, “I think it’s too soon. They’ve got to let the body get cold, in my opinion.” It does appear that there’s still some life left in Mockingjay—Part 2, which continues to top the box office (though probably not for much longer).
Lawrence acknowledged that her involvement would be precluded from any prequels, presumably because a pre-teen Katniss would be difficult for her to pull off (though it could ultimately nab her another Oscar nomination). The essayist and budding director previously joked with MTV UK about Hollywood’s propensity for squeezing all the fun and profits out of its material, while also floating an idea for a sequel to the trilogy: a “dystopian Woody Allen future with Cate Blanchett” as Katniss.