Much like any good fad, the YA film genre that spawned from the ridiculous success of “Twilight” reached incredible heights but quickly fell back down to Earth after studios just flooded the marketplace. Franchises like “Divergent,” “The Maze Runner,” “Mortal Instruments,” and “I Am Number Four” were just several of many attempts to capitalize on the explosion of the YA genre. Arguably, the only one to really find success (and not feature sparkly vampires) is “The Hunger Games.” And now, Lionsgate is ready to dip its toes back into the Jennifer Lawrence-led series one more time.
According to Deadline, ‘Hunger Games’ author Suzanne Collins is putting the finishing touches on a new prequel novel to the massively popular book series. The untitled novel is going to be vastly different from the regular ‘Hunger Games’ series by focusing on the world of Panem 64 years before the events of the regular book and film series. And as you might expect, Lionsgate, the studio behind the popular films, is ready, willing, and able to turn this novel into a film as soon as Collins is ready.
Joe Drake, Chairman of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, said, “As the proud home of the ‘Hunger Games’ movies, we can hardly wait for Suzanne’s next book to be published. We’ve been communicating with her during the writing process and we look forward to continuing to work closely with her on the movie.”
The ‘Hunger Games’ novels and films tell the story of a country called Panem, which is divided into various Districts. Those districts nominate pairs of young teens to compete in the Hunger Games, which is a massive, winner-takes-all battle to the death. But as mentioned, the prequel will be set decades before the lives of our hero Katniss Everdeen, so it’s not likely that Jennifer Lawrence will appear.
The author explained a little about her inspiration for the book and what drew her back to the world of “The Hunger Games.”
“With this book, I wanted to explore the state of nature, who we are, and what we perceive is required for our survival,” Collins said. “The reconstruction period ten years after the war, commonly referred to as the Dark Days—as the country of Panem struggles back to its feet—provides fertile ground for characters to grapple with these questions and thereby define their views of humanity.”
Not mentioned, but also very likely is the fact that a ‘Hunger Games’ prequel book, as well as a new film, will basically be her ticket to print money. So, that’s always a plus, too.
The new novel is expected to hit bookstores on May 19, 2020. You have to imagine a film won’t be far behind.