The adaptation of the latest entry in the world of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which is now following its original trilogy predecessors and is currently being adapted to the big screen. While this is in many ways a welcome development, the writers and showrunners are now faced with a very difficult challenge when it comes to the ending; a challenge that has multiple key factors as to why it is so problematic.
The overall plot of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes centers around Coriolanus Snow, more famously known as President Snow, the main antagonist of the original trilogy. The prequel is set during the time of the Snow, but also makes him the hero.
This approach causes several potential problems that pertain to how the writers of the film plan to end the story, and, as a result, the film cannot possibly end on a positive, happy note. There are multiple reasons that apply to this result. First and foremost is the overall tone. Looking at the very beginning of 2012's The Hunger Games, the world of Panem (at least from Katniss' perspective) is fairly bleak and grim. As a prequel that takes place before the first film, it would make sense for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes to match that same tone by its ending. While that aspect alone does make a sound argument, however, there are more factors to consider, especially the fact that the story revolves around President Snow himself.
The prequel is essentially a biography of President Snow, Katniss Everdeen's nemesis and adversary from the original films. He's the bad guy; the man that is Public Enemy Number One throughout the whole series. Though he may be the protagonist of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, he is still the overarching villain of the saga. Things may go well fairly well for him narratively, but morally he is still evil, especially since the end of the story depicts him poisoning his way to becoming President, much like how he used poison to kill other characters in the trilogy. However, not only does his being a villain majorly contribute to the film's possible negative ending, but also the knowledge the audience more than likely has about him in the other three films, more specifically his fate.
The prequel most assuredly cannot end on a hopeful note because people already know what becomes of Snow, as Katniss deliberately The Hunger Games: The Mockingjay Part 2. This raises the question of how a movie about a villain who inevitably dies at the end of the story can have a happy ending. The answer is that it can't, or at least shouldn't. The true manner of how this prequel to The Hunger Games will end will be ultimately seen when it is eventually released. For the moment, only time will tell.
