The Hunger Games Prequel Announced At CinemaCon

The Hunger Games prequel now has a release date. Lionsgate today revealed at the end of their CinemaCon presentation that The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, a Hunger Games prequel, officially reaches theaters on November 17, 2023. The original movies aka sequels, Catching Fire, Mockingjay Part One, and Mockingjay Part Two, all debuted in the pre-Thanksgiving period. It seems the Hunger Games prequel is coming sooner than we might expect.

Collins originally planned to write only three novels, but she later expanded the world of Panem with a prequel novel. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, scheduled for release in 2020, follows a youthful Coriolanus Snow (played in the original movies by Donald Sutherland), the main antagonist of The Hunger Games films. In 2017, Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer showed a desire for the Hunger Games spinoffs for the first time. Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chairman Joe Drake declared in 2019 that the corporation was collaborating with Collins on the adaptation of the then-unreleased Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. The movie adaptation’s ready to begin production in April 2020, one month prior to the book’s official launch.

Source: Lionsgate

Who is Working In The Prequel?

Francis Lawrence, the director of Catching Fire, Mockingjay: Part 1, and Mockingjay: Part 2, returns to direct The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Michael Arndt wrote the prequel film based on a story modification by Collins. Collins also co-produces the film with Nina Jacobson who produced the original Hunger Games adaptations. Another individual involved in the production is Brad Simpson. While no casting knowledge is out at this time, Variety reported that The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is in the works. Suzanne Collins and Tim Palen work as EPs too.

The prequel to the massively popular franchise takes place years before the original films. We see the 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow, who would rise to become Panem’s tyrant. When the young Snow becomes a mentor to Lucy Gray Baird, the tribute from lowly District 12, he seizes the opportunity for a transformation of circumstance.

DreamWorks Animation’s Trolls World 3 and Paramount’s John Krasinski-directed Ryan Reynolds film are competitions the prequel Hunger Games movie has to beat if are both set to open on November 17 of next year. Judging from the huge fandom and how the original movies did, we expect the prequel to do well, regardless.

Source: Lionsgate

The Hunger Games Movies Have Become Part of the Mainstream Movie Culture

The Hunger Games film series is a collection of Sci-Fi post-apocalyptic adventure movies based on Suzanne Collins’ trilogy. The movies are from novels of the same name. Lionsgate distributes the films, and production gets handled by Nina Jacobson and Jon Kilik. Jennifer Lawrence stars as Katniss Everdeen and Josh Hutcherson is Peeta Mellark. Liam Hemsworth is Gale Hawthorne, Woody Harrelson is Haymitch Abernathy, and Elizabeth Banks is Effie Trinket. Other big names present in the franchise are Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman and Donald Sutherland as President Snow.

We know that the first movies broke box office records. The Hunger Games (2012) broke records for the best opening day and weekend for a non-sequel motion picture. Catching Fire (2013) set a new record for the greatest November launch weekend. Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014) had the year’s biggest opening day and weekend. The themes of the franchise as well as Jennifer Lawrence’s acting as Katniss were lauded by critics and fans alike.  Now, we get to have a new entry into this respected young-adult franchise. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is coming in November.

What did you think of The Hunger Games movie franchise? Did you like the books? What did you think about how the movie fared when compared to the books? I know, typically, book readers aren’t usually happy with how the movie adaptations are. That being said, The Hunger Games adaptation seems to be better than most.