There is very little left for fans of The Hunger Games to return to Panem. 11 years after the premiere of the first film in the saga that adapted the books by Suzanne Collins, the dystopian world comes to life again in the prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. And Lionsgate prepares us for the premiere with a new poster:
The Hunger Games centered around Katniss Everdeen, played by Academy Award-Winning actress Jennifer Lawrence, who lives in a post-apocalyptic America re-named Panem, a country living under a tyrant government led by President Coriolanus Snow. As a punishment to the districts for a past rebellion, every year, a girl and a boy from each district are sent to the Capitol to compete in a deadly televised competition that has only one winner, the one that manages to stay alive.
Katniss takes her sister Prim’s place in the 74th Hunger Games without knowing she will become the symbol of the rebellion against the Capitol and President Snow, the spark of a fire that will eventually burn Panem to ashes to find a new beginning.
What’s The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes About?
The prequel novel, also written by Collins, focuses on a young Coriolanus Snow during Panem's 10th Hunger Games, about 64 years before Katniss' story. It follows Coriolanus as he prepares to mentor District 12's female tribute, Lucy Gray Baird. Despite his initial embarrassment and disappointment, Coriolanus soon believes he and Lucy Gray may have a chance to turn the odds in their favor.
Tom Blyth (Billy the Kid) will star as Snow, taking the role from veteran Donald Sutherland. He’s joined by West Side Story and Shazam! Fury of the Gods star Rachel Zegler, who plays Lucy. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes also stars Hunter Schafer, Viola Davis, and Peter Dinklage, among others.
Although there hasn’t been any official confirmation, the movie could be just the beginning of the franchise's return. Lionsgate now has its own streaming platform, and rumors for other Hunger Games spin-offs have been around for a long time now. Fans have been asking for the stories of characters like Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson) and Finnick Odair (Sam Claflin) to be told on the screen.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes arrives in theaters on Nov. 17.