It’s been a while since we stepped into the world of The Hunger Games. But now we have a chance to see the origins of the treacherous world we’ve come to know. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes takes us back in time to the 10th Hunger Games and introduces us to a young Coriolanus Snow, who has not yet stepped into his full evil. For context, the first The Hunger Games movie takes place during the 74th Hunger Games. The Hunger Games prequel movie takes place 64 years before.
A new featurette takes us into this world and how it came together.
Here’s everything we know about The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.
Title
The title of The Hunger Games prequel movie is The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. This is the title of the prequel novel on which the film is based and alludes, of course, to the deep machinations of predator and prey we’ll see in the movie. The songbird refers to Lucy Gray Baird’s singing abilities. But the movie also poses a larger question, asking us to think about who the snakes and songbirds really are in the story.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes‘ Plot
Since The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is based on a novel by Suzanne Collins, many details of its plot are available. But here is what the official synopsis reveals about the movie.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes follows a young Coriolanus (Tom Blyth) who is the last hope for his failing lineage, the once-proud Snow family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol. With his livelihood threatened, Snow is reluctantly assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), a tribute from the impoverished District 12. But after Lucy Gray’s charm captivates the audience of Panem, Snow sees an opportunity to shift their fates. With everything he has worked for hanging in the balance, Snow unites with Lucy Gray to turn the odds in their favor. Battling his instincts for both good and evil, Snow sets out on a race against time to survive and reveal if he will ultimately become a songbird or a snake.
Additionally, we now have the first full trailer for the movie. It gives us a glimpse of the twists and turns of the tale we’ll soon see play out.
Behind the Scenes
The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes will be directed by Francis Lawrence; Lawrence previously directed The Hunger Games’ Catching Fire, Mockingjay Part One, and Mockingjay Part Two.” Additionally, according to a release “it will be shepherded by franchise producer Nina Jacobson and her producing partner Brad Simpson, along with Francis Lawrence.” Suzanne Collins, the author of the series, will serve as executive producer. Michael Lesslie and Michael Arndt wrote the screenplay.
It seems this film will dive a bit deeper into the book’s violence. Like its predecessors, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes will have a PG-13 rating. However, this rating says their will be “disturbing material” in this film. It won’t get too brutal but things will be intense.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes‘ Cast
In addition to many other talents, Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Peter Dinklage, Hunter Schafer, Josh Andrés Rivera, Jason Schwartzman, and Viola Davis star in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes‘ Release Date
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes will release on November 17.
