The upcoming Hunger Games prequel will dive deeper into the history of Panem’s leader and the development of the Games while also rekindling a nostalgic love for the original films. The newest installment in the Hunger Games series, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, was published in 2020 by Suzanne Collins and is going to be adapted into a film in 2023. The director of the final three films, Francis Lawrence, has been confirmed to return. It’s been eight long years since the release of the final film, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2. The world is ready for another Hunger Games film to grace the big screen.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes centers around a young Coriolanus Snow before he became the cold and callus president of Panem. The story takes place during the 10th annual Hunger Games, making it slightly different from the older games represented in the previous films. Snow serves as a first-time mentor to a new character, Lucy Gray Baird, a tribute from District 12. The film plans to explain how Snow began his unraveling into pure evil as he tries to bring his tribute to victory, using whatever means necessary. So far, it’s been announced that young Snow is set to be played by Tom Blyth, and Lucy Gray Baird will be played by West Side Story star Rachel Zegler.
The uncanny, futuristic terror surrounding the concept of the Hunger Games was part of what made it so special to watch for the first time. The Games shown in the first film were horrific and gruesome, as they had tributes fight and kill each other in order to win. This game of ultimate survival was something completely new and compelling, which is exactly what makes the prequel particularly exciting. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is going to include what was so loved in the first film but without rehashing content. For the first time since the original film, a proper Hunger Games is finally going to be played.
The other films in the series followed different concerns within Panem instead of the Hunger Games. After an unprecedented double win in the opening film, an impending uprising began to stir. This uprising plot was maintained throughout the rest of the films, with the first movie being the only one to show an actual Hunger Games play out. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 included a 75th anniversary Games, but it was not at all the same. This time, the tributes were reaped from the pool of previous victors. They began teaming up to bring on the uprising against the Capitol. The end of the series marked the final Hunger Games due to the success of the second rebellion in Panem. The prequel is going to be reminiscent of the first entry by bringing back the exciting action that came with watching the true Hunger Games unfold while also revealing their humble beginnings and development.
The Hunger Games series came to its end in 2015, but now it's been resurrected with a prequel that has the potential to restore the most exciting aspect of the franchise. The very first film in the series felt incredibly original and created a captive audience ready to enter the dystopian hellscape of Panem. Hopefully, this prequel will reignite the spark that brought such a deep love of Suzanne Collins' original masterpiece. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is set to release in 2023.