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Hunger Games Prequel Movie Officially In Development, Original Director Returning
The Hunger Games prequel movie is in development at Lionsgate, based on Suzanne Collins' The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes book. Collins originally wrote a trilogy of young adult novels set in the dystopian world of Panem, where the 12 districts were forced to send young tributes to fight in the deadly, titular games. The trilogy followed Katniss Everdeen, played in the four-movie series adaptation by Jennifer Lawrence, a skilled archer who volunteers to be a tribute to save her sister and becomes the unlikely symbol for Panem's rebellion against their tyrannical government.
Although the second movie in the franchise, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, was a critical and financial success for Lionsgate, the following two movies saw diminished returns. There have been various reasons bandied about Hollywood, with fans frustrated by the studio adapting the third book into two movies, following Warner Bros' approach with Harry Potter, in what some called a cash grab. Meanwhile, others blamed the final movie's competition at the box office, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2's poor box office showing. Nevertheless, Lionsgate is returning to The Hunger Games franchise for a new movie.
Today, Lionsgate announced they're officially developing a Hunger Games prequel movie based on Collins' upcoming new installment in the series, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. The book will release May 19. Franchise director Francis Lawrence will return to helm the film, with Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine, Toy Story 3) set to write the script.
The first Hunger Games movie released in 2012, directed by Gary Ross. Though it was both a critical and financial success in and of itself, the followup, 2013's Catching Fire, was an even bigger hit. Lawrence took over as director for Catching Fire and directed both Mockingjay - Part 1 and Part 2. However, the box office returns diminished, to the point that Part 2 earned less at the worldwide box office than the first movie. Still, with its compelling dystopian world and a long history not explored in the main series, Lionsgate and Lawrence remained open to more Hunger Games movies and it appears they've found a story worth adapting in Collins' new novel.
When The Hunger Games prequel novel was first announced last year, it was met with some criticism by longtime fans. It's set to follow a younger version of President Coriolanus Snow, the villain of the original franchise as played by Donald Sutherland in the movies. Fans worried that Collins' new book would humanize the man and rationalize his evil actions. However, since the book hasn't been released yet, only a short excerpt, it remains to be seen how Collins' novel handles the earlier era of Panem. Franchise fans will get to read The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes once it releases next month and look forward to The Hunger Games prequel movie when it hits theaters in the coming years.
