Lionsgate has confirmed that a new Hunger Games movie is in the works. However, it may not feature the franchise lead protagonist, Katniss Everdeen.
The upcoming movie is a prequel to the first four films that fans all over the world loved for years. It will be an adaptation of Suzanne Collins' The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
The prequel is set during the 10th annual Hunger Games, about 64 years prior to the events of the first Hunger Games story. The 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow will be the center of the story.
In the story, the young, handsome, and charming Coriolanus changes his fortune when he is chosen to be a mentor for the 10th Hunger Games. But his enthusiasm vanishes as he is assigned to mentor the female tribute from the impoverished District 12, the same district where Katniss (Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) came from.
Snow, as many fans know, is the man who later becomes the ruthless President of Panem. In the original film series, the character was played by Donald Sutherland.
The Hunger Games prequel movie will be helmed by Francis Lawrence, who also directed Catching Fire and both Mockingjay Part 1 and Mockingjay Part 2. Michael Arndt is also back in the franchise to pen the screenplay while Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson are also on board to produce the new movie.
Since it's a prequel and will feature young Coriolanus Snow, many of the characters that fans loved in the four films of the dystopian science fiction adventure series wouldn't be in the new movie. That includes Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss, Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne, and Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark.
Lionsgate has yet to make a casting announcement for the new Hunger Games movie. However, Joe Drake, chairman of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, said viewers could expect new characters in the upcoming prequel.
"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," Drake said in a statement (via The Hollywood Reporter).
The upcoming movie has no release date yet but the book, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, is to be released on May 19. As the coronavirus pandemic continues to affect the film industry, fans could expect a long wait for the next Panem story.
