The Hunger Games will be coming back in a new prequel movie, based on Suzanne Collins's upcoming novel.
Lionsgate has confirmed The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (out on May 19) will be developed into a movie by returning director Francis Lawrence, alongside screenwriter Michael Arndt and producer Nina Jacobson who both worked on the original series.
The prequel novel focuses on Coriolanus Snow at the age of 18, a long time before he would become the tyrannical Panem President we know and hate from the novels and the movie series.
There's been no confirmed casting for the prequel movie yet.
It's not surprising that the novel is being adapted when you consider The Hunger Games is one of the highest-grossing movie franchises of all time, having earned almost $3 billion worldwide.
Sadly, the novel is set decades before Katniss Everdeen was first introduced. So no, no Jennifer Lawrence this time round, we're afraid.
What to Read Next
The four established movies took minor liberties with the books, but on the whole, the narrative very much stuck to Collins' blueprint, so we can safely assume that the same will be done with the prequel.
Scholastic The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (A Hunger Games Novel) (The Hunger Games)
Scholastic The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (A Hunger Games Novel) (The Hunger Games)
"With this book, I wanted to explore the state of nature, who we are, and what we perceive is required for our survival," the writer said in a statement (via AP).
"The reconstruction period 10 years after the war, commonly referred to as the Dark Days – as the country of Panem struggles back to its feet – provides fertile ground for characters to grapple with these questions and thereby define their views of humanity."
To refresh your memory, the Dark Days were the period that followed the collapse of the first rebellion in Panem as a civil war was fought between the districts and the Capitol.
This was the time District 13 literally went underground, its nuclear arsenal allowing it independence from the Capitol at the cost of leaving the rest of Panem to its ignominious fate.
These events took place 74 years prior to the start of the Hunger Games trilogy, long before recurring characters Katniss or Peeta Mellark had even been born.
Coriolanus Snow isn't the only familiar face who we might see though as Mags Flanagan was also alive during this time.
Mags was the female tribute from District 4 during the 75th Hunger Games, where she volunteered to take the place of Annie Cresta, eventually sacrificing herself to save Katniss in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.
As for President Snow, it's not known how he came to adopt this moniker. Since he was born only two years before the Hunger Games were a thing, it's safe to assume he was not responsible for their development... we think.
Here's hoping we find out more about his journey to becoming the despot of Panem.
The development of the prequel is exciting for a multitude of reasons, not least because we get to finally see what goes down during the dawn of the titular games.
But it also means there's a chance Collins is planning to take the story further. Could this be the start of an entirely new series?
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is released on May 19.
Scholastic The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
![The Hunger Games [Theatrical Version] (streaming)](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1560929347-51PGCDJdaDL.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:* "The Hunger Games [Theatrical Version] (streaming)")
![The Hunger Games - Complete Collection [DVD] [2015]](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1560929754-512BEqKZVatL.jpg?crop=1xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:* "The Hunger Games - Complete Collection [DVD] [2015]")
Universal/Island Records The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
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Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
