How The Inheritance Games Could Pave The Way

A TV show based on The Hunger Games looks more likely than ever thanks to another young adult adaptation. Since 2012, The Hunger Games has been one of the most popular young adult adaptations. Not only do all five Hunger Games movies rank highly among fans and general audiences alike, but new projects are still being made.

2025 saw the release of Sunrise on the Reaping, a book about Haymitch Abernathy’s bout in the titular competition. 2026 now has a release date marked for Sunrise on the Reaping‘s movie adaptation, directed by franchise veteran Francis Lawrence. Sunrise on the Reaping‘s cast of characters will delve even deeper into the dystopian world, with many hoping the franchise will not end there.

A TV show set in the world of The Hunger Games has been loosely discussed for a while, with a new young adult book adaptation potentially paving the way for this to become a reality.

The Inheritance Games Show Is A Great Test For A Potential Hunger Games Series

In October 2025, it was announced that a TV show based on The Inheritance Games is in development. Despite sharing a similar title, The Inheritance Games has many differences from The Hunger Games, with the former focusing on a more mystery, intrigue-based plot than the dystopian, fight-to-the-death vibe of the latter.

Nonetheless, both are popular young adult novel series that explore the extremes of wealth, only in slightly different ways. Lionsgate, the studio responsible for crafting the Hunger Games movies, will be teaming up with Temple Hill Entertainment to produce The Inheritance Games as a television series.

The latter company was involved in the movie adaptations of The Hunger Games, as well as several other young adult adaptations, from Twilight to The Maze Runner. Therefore, The Inheritance Games will be a great test for whether a Hunger Games TV show could actually work.

TV adaptations of big franchises, such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars, have become more common in the 2020s. However, most young adult adaptations have remained on the big screen. With The Inheritance Games, Lionsgate and Temple Hill are testing the waters to see whether popular young adult novel series work better in a long-form format.

The Hunger Games Movie Director Has Already Proposed A Potential TV Show

Where The Hunger Games is concerned, this test could bring a tease from director Francis Lawrence to fruition. Lawrence has directed all Hunger Games movies since 2013’s Catching Fire, including Mockingjay – Part 1, Mockingjay – Part 2, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, and the upcoming Sunrise on the Reaping.

During the promotional campaign for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Lawrence somewhat teased a prequel TV show to The Hunger Games. Lawrence was asked his thoughts about expanding the franchise, to which the director replied that he would only ever do so if the author of the novels, Suzanne Collins, had an idea and was involved in the construction of the story.

The filmmaker insisted that Collins’ grip on the world, the themes that permeate it, and how those themes can translate into different stories are too important to let go of. With that in mind, Lawrence stated, “If she came up with an idea for, I don’t know, a limited series or something that had a reason to exist, that’s a possibility.”

Whether Collins ever comes up with a treatment for a Hunger Games TV show remains to be seen. However, The Inheritance Games could prove whether this would work. The series has become increasingly popular in recent years. If it succeeds as a show that finds an audience, a franchise as big as The Hunger Games would seemingly have no trouble transitioning to TV.

A Hunger Games TV Show Shouldn’t Be About The Actual Games

Original SR Image by Shawn Lealos

If a Hunger Games TV show were to happen, there is an argument that it should not be about the games themselves. The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes all explore the titular competition in various ways and through distinct points of view. The upcoming Sunrise on the Reaping will only continue this.

This is because the inherent concept of the games lends itself well to a movie. Putting someone in an enclosed space, in a competition that ends relatively quickly and puts an emphasis on action and spectacle, fits a movie well. That said, stretching the momentum of a singular Hunger Games out over an entire TV season may not be as compelling.

While competition shows like Squid Game have proven to work, that concept has breaks between each “game,” something that is not the case for the Hunger Games. Therefore, a TV show set in The Hunger Games’ world should focus more on life outside of the games, perhaps via an exploration of The Dark Days, the Districts’ initial rebellion against the Capitol.

The Dark Days is the conflict that birthed the Hunger Games. If a show centered on this, it could focus on the political tension of Panem and a war that lasts much longer than the enclosed Hunger Games, all while providing vital context to the original series that works better as a longer-form story.

The Hunger Games Would Benefit From An Andor-Like Prequel Show

A recent TV installment of a huge franchise that proves how successful a Hunger Games show could be is Star Wars’ Andor. Andor is widely regarded as the best Star Wars TV show and the best overall installment in the franchise since The Empire Strikes Back.

The reason for this is the maturity that Andor has in comparison to the wider Star Wars franchise. The show abandons a lot of what makes Star Wars, well, Star Wars. It focuses on the everyday fighters of the Rebel Alliance rather than the Jedi, the Force, or the prophecies of the Chosen One.

This allows Andor to feel much more akin to a quality TV show than a story set within the Star Wars galaxy, as evidenced by its Emmy wins and nominations in 2025. With all of this in mind, The Hunger Games could follow suit.

It is worth noting that The Hunger Games is already inherently political, meaning any TV show set in that world would not have the key, notable differences that Andor had from regular Star Wars. Still, if a Hunger Games TV show shifted its focus from the titular competition to exploring Panem at war and the politics involved, it could offer something distinct from the movies.

That way, the bursts of action that come with the Hunger Games themselves could be saved for big, spectacle-based movies, with political intrigue sprinkled throughout. A Hunger Games TV show, though, could dive headfirst into the politics, war, and power struggles of Panem in a way the movies do not have the time for, driven by the potential success of The Inheritance Games.

Created by

Suzanne Collins

Cast

Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland, Lenny Kravitz, Willow Shields, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel Zegler, Tom Blyth, Viola Davis, Peter Dinklage, Hunter Schafer, Jason Schwartzman

Movie(s)

The Hunger Games, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes