It looks like the odds are in your favor, as it has recently been announced that a sequel to Suzanne Collins’ beloved series, The Hunger Games, will be headed to the big screen in 2023! After over six years of the story being brought to a close, the saga now continues taking place 64 years before the events of the story everyone knows and loves. 

To summarize, The Hunger Games takes place in the dystopian, futuristic world of Panem 74 years after an unsuccessful rebellion. Panem is divided into twelve separate districts, each providing one resource to “The Capitol,” where their dictator-like President Snow resides. In order to prevent a further uprising, The Capitol hosts an event each year where two teenagers from each district – one boy and one girl – are reaped to fight to the death until only one remains, all while watched by the rest of Panem. “The Hunger Games” was a successful event until Primrose Everdeen was reaped to participate in the 74th annual games as the female tribute of district twelve. However, moments following Primrose’s reaping, her older sister Katniss, a diligent and resourceful teenage girl, volunteers to take her place. The rest of the story follows Katniss’ adventures throughout the games and her journey to starting a new rebellion and restoring justice in Panem. Suzanne released the first book in this phenomenal series in 2008, and its popularity quickly grew because of how exciting and fresh the concept was. Following this, two more books were released after the success of the original novel, and in 2012 the book series was given a film adaptation. The movies starred award-winning actors and actresses including Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, and more. Such a fantastic job was done by the cast in bringing the books to life, and the series truly wouldn’t be the same without their talents.

It was hard to say goodbye to the remarkable series in 2015; however, fans were thrilled when Collins released another book to add to the trilogy, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. This story takes place 64 years before the journey of Katniss Everdeen and follows the teenage years of none other than President Snow. 

To the world’s luck, a live-action film based on the new book was announced very recently and is set to release on November 17, 2023. Aidan Mintzer (11) shares their excitement, saying “It’s been quite a long time since the release 0f the last Hunger Games movie, so I’m personally excited to see what they do next and how there will be new characters incorporated into Panem’s story.” However, fans are skeptical about their feelings about Lionsgate’s latest project. 

Since the new story follows the tale of a young President Snow, the entire cast differs from the original four films. This upset some viewers, as the original cast was crucial to the first few movies’ success. However, the new cast is promising as it has been revealed that the talents of Hunter Schafer, Racheal Zegler, Tom Blyth, and many more will be showcased in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

All in all, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is one to look out for in 2023!