Francis Lawrence will return to direct the Hunger Games prequel

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Just when you thought you were out, the Hunger Games are looking to pull you back in.

Lionsgate announced today that the studio will adapt Suzanne Collins’s highly anticipated novel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which takes place in the Hunger Games universe, into a major motion picture. One of the most eagerly awaited publishing events of the year, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes will be published by Scholastic simultaneously in print, digital and audio formats in the US, Canada, the UK and Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand on May 19.

As per Lionsgate's official press release:

The film will focus on Coriolanus Snow at age 18, years before he would become the tyrannical President of Panem. Young Coriolanus is handsome and charming, and though the Snow family has fallen on hard times, he sees a chance for a change in his fortunes when he is chosen to be a mentor for the Tenth Hunger Games… only to have his elation dashed when he is assigned to mentor the girl tribute from impoverished District 12. 

To adapt the new book, the studio is "getting the band back together," as several members of the franchise’s creative team and some of the industry’s most sought-after filmmakers are being re-enlisted for the prequel project. Color Force’s Nina Jacobson, who has produced all of the films in the franchise, will produce the film adaptation of the new novel along with her partner Brad Simpson, who will also be involved in a producorial capacity. Francis Lawrence, who directed Catching Fire, Mockingjay Part 1, and Mockingjay Part 2, will return to the director’s chair. Meanwhile, Collins will write the film’s treatment and Michael Arndt, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of Little Miss Sunshine and a nominee for his work on Toy Story 3, will adapt the screenplay, after previously serving as one of the writers of Catching Fire. Collins also will serve as an executive producer of the new film.

When asked for comment about the new project, Joe Drake, chairman of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group said, “Suzanne’s new book has been worth the wait. It offers everything fans could hope for and expect from The Hunger Games while also breaking new ground and introducing an entirely new canvas of characters. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is creatively thrilling and takes this world to complex new dimensions that open up amazing cinematic possibilities. We’re thrilled to reunite this filmmaking team with this very unique franchise, and we can’t wait to begin production.”

“Lionsgate has always been the cinematic home of The Hunger Games, and I’m delighted to be returning to them with this new book,” said Collins. “From the beginning, they have treated the source material with great respect, honoring the thematic and narrative elements of the story, and assembling an incredible team both in front of and behind the camera. It’s such a pleasure to be reuniting with Nina, Francis, and Michael to adapt the novel to the screen, and having them share their remarkable talents, once again, with the world of Panem. I look forward to collaborating with them and all at Lionsgate as we bring The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes to theaters worldwide.”

How do you feel about the premise for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes? Can a story revolving around Coriolanus Snow be nearly as compelling as the journey of Katniss Everdeen and her fellow Hunger Games contestants? Who is this "girl tribute from impoverished District 12," and how will her being paired with Coriolanus affect the outcome of him becoming a miserable tyrant down the road? Feel free to share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.