The blockbuster movie and franchise prequel to The Hunger Games, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes came out last month and has reignited an internet-wide love for the series. From my hours of endlessly scrolling through social media, I stumbled upon a never-ending begging cry from series fans for Suzanne Collins, author of the book series, to write more books about the rest of the Hunger Games franchise. The Hunger Games is a deep and expansive universe, with countless unexplored avenues of potential book material. Ripe for many more spinoffs and continuations of series lore.
As a Hunger Games fan, at first I staunchly agreed; Collins should make new Hunger Games books, which would then mean more movies. But after more thought about the matter, I changed my mind. Unlike other franchises, The Hunger Games is not oversaturated, unlike superhero universes like Marvel or DC. Collins took the method of “less is more” when it came to her universe, citing specifically that she would not make new books if she did not have something new to say.
The idea made me think about the concept of “less is more,” and where a series exactly should end. In a society where money reigns supreme over artistic intention and the refusal to make a new entry in a series means millions of dollars lost, many forms of media lose the place where they should end. Instead, they continue to chug along as a shell of their former selves.
I was brought to other media, a prime example being the American adaptation of The Office. After its lead actor Steve Carell left the show, the remaining two seasons became a ghostly imitation of the previous success of the show. After ratings plummeted, the showrunners decided to pack up shop, but on an arguably more sour note.
Countless books, movies, TV shows and video games that could have ended on a more artistically sound—and better—way, did not. Ultimately, greed persisted and the once-great pieces of media fell from their pedestals.
Though I would love more content from my favorite books, shows, movies and games, I have grown to agree with Collins’ approach to crafting her universe, and knowing when to put down the pen.
