'Hunger Games' burning questions: What happened in the end? Why was 'Ballad' salute cut?

"The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" has brought author Suzanne Collins' dystopic world back to the theaters, 64 years before tribute Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) was forced into the arena for fictional Panem's cruel 74th Hunger Games.

Katniss' four-movie epic "Hunger Games" showdown against evil President Snow (Donald Sutherland), which played out in theaters from 2012 to 2015, moves to a new stage in the prequel "Ballad."

There's no Katniss, but the drama features young Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) and his relationship with District 12 tribute Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler) around the early 10th Hunger Games.

So what happened in "Ballad" and what's next for the box office titan "Hunger Games" franchise? Here are key burning "Ballad" questions answered.

Warning, there are spoilers ahead!

After 'The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,' when is the next 'Hunger Games' movie coming?

Don't hold your breath.

"Ballad," adapted from Collins' 2020 prequel novel, created an entirely new "Hunger Games" with new power characters such as Lucy Gray, Head Gamemaker Dr. Volumnia Gaul (Viola Davis) and the Capitol city's Academy Dean Casca Highbottom (Peter Dinklage).

In Hollywood, this kind of franchise prequel normally sets the stage for subsequent films. But there is no planned "Ballad" sequel, regardless of its box office performance. That's because Collins has not written another novel.

"And I wouldn't take it as given that there will be another (novel) for sure," says producer Nina Jacobson, who has adapted all of Collins' novel to the screen. "I'll always hope that we'll have more opportunities to go back to Panem. We'd go back in a second if (Collins) has the inspiration and a story she wants to tell."

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What happened to Snow and Lucy Gray Baird at the end of 'Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes'?

After Lucy Gray survives the 10th Hunger Games with the assistance of her mentor Snow, she returns to her home District 12. Assigned to military training in the rural district, Snow leaves his Capitol home and meets up with Lucy Gray. The two embark on a passionate love affair.

But ambition and fear get the best of Snow, who ultimately tries to kill his lover Lucy Gray, the only witness to a crime that could ruin his life at the Capitol. Lucy Gray appears to escape Snow's wrath, but her whereabouts are hauntingly unclear at the end of "Ballad."

Snow returns to the Capitol, fully transformed from the idealistic young man to the cold killer heart of his future self, President Snow. Snow's first order of business, and the last "Ballad" act, is to poison his rival Dean Highbottom.

The last scene features a closeup of young Snow smiling with a voiceover cameo from Sutherland.

"It's the things we love most, that destroy us," evil grown-up Snow says, a quote the President said to Katniss in 2014's "Mockingjay – Part 1."

How did Donald Sutherland make a cameo in 'Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes'?

The line and cameo weren't in the original "Ballad" script. But Lionsgate Studios had added Sutherland's chilling line to a sizzle reel used to sell the film to international distributors.

"And the line just sat there so perfectly," says Jacobson. "So we started talking about including it at the movie's end because it really does feel like (Snow) has come to this premise."

The line reflects not only Snow's dark outlook but also the mental impact Lucy Gray, whose whereabouts are still a mystery, will have on Snow later in life.

"Snow has never been in love before and this is the first time that somebody took his breath away," says Jacobson. "That puts him off balance and makes him do irrational things."

This lack of balance will come back to haunt Snow later when the new District 12 tribute Katniss arrives for the 74th Hunger Games. Katniss stirs up the same fear and hatred within Snow as Lucy Gray. And that ultimately destroys him.

Are Lucy Gray and Katniss related?

Katniss and Lucy Gray are not related beyond their shared District 12 and loving hearts. Fan speculation that the two are related is tantalizing, especially following Lucy Gray's love affair with young Snow.

"I've heard that fan theory often. But it's not true," says director Francis Lawrence. "Katniss and Lucy Gray are not related."

Why don't we see a three-finger 'Hunger Games' salute in 'Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes'?

"Ballad" is filled with origin stories, from Snow to the 10th Hunger Games host Lucky Flickerman (Jason Schwartzman) the flamboyant ancestor to 74th Hunger Games host Caesar Flickerman (Stanley Tucci).

However, we don't see an early three-finger salute, which was a "Hunger Games" defiance symbol of the rebellion against the Capitol spurred by Katniss.

Director Francis Lawrence shot scenes with an early salute during the "Ballad" reaping ceremony when Lucy Gray is chosen for the games.

"We saw the salute as a long-standing signal of farewell and respect," says Lawrence. "And we showed people in the crowd giving that salute to Lucy Gray."

However, Collins nixed the salute scene since it didn't fit into her detailed and unwavering "Hunger Games" timeline.

"Suzanne has a bible of 'Hunger Games' mythology, and according to her timeline, people weren't using that salute yet," says Lawrence, who cut the scenes. "Luckily we had versions of the reaping without the salute."

"That was our biggest debate," says Jacobson of the salute discussion. "Suzanne is really not rigid and not looking for slavish adaptations. But she really will put her foot down on that point."

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Hunger Games': What happened in 'Ballad' end? Why was key salute cut?