Unlike many of its YA dystopia brethren, “The Hunger Games” franchise has been a huge success for Lionsgate, earning more than $3 billion worldwide off of the first four films. And now, it appears that Lionsgate is officially moving forward with a prequel film, titled “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.” The studio is also bringing back the filmmaker that helped finish the first ‘Hunger Games’ run.
According to Deadline, Lionsgate is officially bringing on Francis Lawrence to direct the upcoming ‘Hunger Games’ prequel film, “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” based on the new novel from author Suzanne Collins. Set many years before the original film franchise, ‘Ballad’ follows 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow, the man who will grow up to become the evil ruler of Panem. The film tells the story of Snow, who is chosen to mentor during a Hunger Games event and finds himself in charge of a young girl from the impoverished District 12.
Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chairman Joe Drake 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.”
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“Lionsgate has always been the cinematic home of ‘The Hunger Games,’ and I’m delighted to be returning to them with this new book,” added 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.”
Franchise producers Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson are also returning to the production. Collins will adapt the novel into a film treatment, which will then be adapted by screenwriter Michael Arndt.
Obviously, it’s way too early to know when Lionsgate hopes to release the upcoming film, but you better believe the studio will put this film on the fast track.