Hunger Games Director Admits He ‘Totally Regrets’ Splitting Mockingjay Into 2 Parts (Exclusive)

In retrospect, director Francis Lawrence understands the mixed reactions to the split finale Hunger Games a book in two films.

Lawrence returns for an upcoming origin story A ballad about songbirds and snakes after directing in 2013 Catch fire and those two mocking jay movies.

The director (no relation to star Jennifer Lawrence, who played protagonist Katniss Everdeen) tells PEOPLE he wouldn’t split the book in two if he had to do it over.

“I totally regret it. I totally regret it. I’m not sure everyone regrets it, but I definitely do,” he says.

In July 2012, it was confirmed that the final trilogy by author Suzanne Collins will be adapted into two films. Mockingjay – part 1 arrived in cinemas in November 2014, a Mockingjay – part 2 in November 2015

While Lawrence says the team agreed on “two halves mocking jay had their own separate dramatic questions” and therefore complete arcs, he understands why some fans were upset about the wait between films.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Jennifer Lawrence, Woody Harrelson and Mahershala Ali in ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2’ (2015).

Album/Alamy

Actors from ‘Hunger Games’: Where are they now?

“What I realize in retrospect — and after hearing all the backlash and feeling the kind of anger from fans and critics and people at the split — is that I realize it was frustrating,” Lawrence says. “And I can understand that.”

“In a TV episode, if you have a cliffhanger, you have to wait a week or you could just swallow it and then you can see the next episode. But it felt disingenuous to even make people wait a year when it wasn’t,” he adds. “Our intentions were not dishonest.”

Lawrence notes that the upside is that they were able to adapt more of the book into two movies.

“Really, we got more screen time from the book than we would have gotten in any other movie because you’re approaching four hours of screen time for the last book. But,” he says, “I see and understand how it frustrated people.”

Harry Potter started the trend, declaring in 2008 that the last book, Deathly Hallows, would get the two-film treatment. The following example from there was Twilight’with The dawn duo i Divergent‘with Allegiant — although the big screen never saw that second part.

And he hasn’t completely disappeared: Denis Villeneuve oozes manifold Dune movies from one book, Peter Jackson managed to make three movies from one book The Hobbit book, and forthcoming Wicked the film adaptation will be two films.

It’s soon A ballad about songbirds and snakes, prequel in Hunger Games universe based on Collins’ book published in 2020. It stars an all-new cast, but much of the same crew is behind the camera.

Rachel Zegler and Tom Blyth in ‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’.

Murray Close/Courtesy of Lionsgate

Jennifer Lawrence says she’s ‘absolutely’ ready to reprise her ‘Hunger Games’ role: ‘100 percent’

The decision to make just one movie from the book was always the intention, says Lawrence. Even if it meant making it the longest Hunger Games movie yet. (Running time is 2 hours and 36 minutes.)

“I would never let them split the book in two,” says Lawrence. “There’s never been a real conversation about it. It’s a long book, but we have so much s— to break up mocking jay to two – from fans, from critics, from everyone – that I said: ‘No way. I’m just going to make a longer film.’ ”

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes in cinemas on 17.11.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education