Did Lionsgate Tip Hand On ‘Hunger Games’ Prequels?

It has been widely speculated that Lionsgate is looking to extend its Hunger Games franchise after its fourth and final film based on Suzanne Collins’ trilogy, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part II, opened and has dominated the box office for the past three weekends and currently stands at $524.2 million in global box office. Today, Lionsgate vice chairman Michael Burns stoked the flame a bit at his UBS Global Media and Communications Conference appearance by proposing a couple of what-ifs for prequels.

“The one thing that kids say they missed was there was no arenas,” Burns told investors, a reference to the field of battle of early Hunger Games death matches. “If we went backwards there obviously would be arenas.” There also would be a bevy of past Hunger Games to build from as the Collins books started with the 74th Hunger Games.

Burns also said today that the franchise would live on, despite no official word from Lionsgate on spinoffs or prequels or sequels. But the studio is staying in business with the franchise, announcing earlier this month it planned Hunger Games-centered theme parks in the U.S. and China. The news spurred Deadline and its readers to drum up ideas for potential rides based on IP about kids killing each other (among the best: It’s A Violent Dystopian Post Apocalyptic World After All).