You may be familiar with the popular young adult dystopian series, “The Hunger Games”, and the four movies that accompany the books. “The Hunger Games” series author, Suzanne Collins, published a sequel to her well-favored series on May 19, 2020, known as “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.” After a major breakthrough and high popularity in the newly released novel, Suzanne Collins worked to develop a movie adaptation of “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.” After a long-anticipated wait by many fans, the prequel is releasing a movie adaptation on November 17, 2023.
The prequel starts as the author, Suzanne Collins, reintroduces the set of Panem many years before the period during the 74th Hunger Games. The main plot of the prequel is centered around the events and timeline surrounding President Coriolanus Snow in his young adult life as a mentor, along with his relationship with the District 12 tribute, Lucy Gray Baird. “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” serves as an origin story for Snow’s uprise to power and how it may foreshadow the events for the first Hunger Games novel/movie. The new movie will aim to recognize what brought upon Snow’s future actions and dictatorship over the entirety of Panem.
The Hunger Games prequel will star Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird, one of the main characters in the movie set as a reaped tribute from District 12. Moreover, English actor Tom Blyth will be starring as young Coriolanus Snow. Actors started and worked on production throughout 2022. Filming took place is various locations, such as Poland and Berlin, Germany. Due to the upcoming film being projected as a prequel to the original Hunger Games series, it is unlikely proposed that any of the original actors will reprise their roles. Lionsgate, the production company for the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, had officially released the set duration of the movie to last two hours and forty-five minutes overall. Director Francis Lawrence, of the first two Hunger Games movies, along with Mockingjay part 1 and 2, will be returning as the executive producer for the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. The official trailer was released in April 2023, illustrating and showcases the anticipated events/clips from the movie. Recently in September 2023, Lionsgate released a second trailer, leaving more and more fans in excitement for the movie launch.
“The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” will admittedly follow along the same lines and themes that the original Hunger Games stories had. Centered and projected around the dystopian era politics, war, and propaganda, this new movie will certainly serve as an entertaining and captivating prequel for all Hunger Games fans.
