With news of a prequel novel to Suzanne Collins’ smash-hit trilogy of Hunger Games books breaking this morning, the thought I’m sure many of us shared was “wonder when we’ll hear about a movie?” Evidently, we didn’t have to wait long.
Speaking for Lionsgate, chairman Joe Drake mentioned the company as the “proud home of the Hunger Games movies,” and that they’ve been “communicating with [Collins] during the writing process and [they] look forward to continuing to work closely with her on the movie.”
So it’s “the movie.” Not “a movie.” With nothing confirmed or written in gladiatorial teenage blood, consider a new Hunger Games film a very-likely “maybe” for now. Still, the conclusion seems foregone.
Collins’ new novel, without a title for now, is scheduled to hit shelves (there are still bookstores! go to them!) May 19th, 2020. As a prequel, it is set 64 years before the events in the first book, when trilogy-heroine Katniss Everdeen is just a twinkle in her father’s eye. On the subject, Collins said she “wanted to explore the state of nature, who we are and what we perceive is required for our survival.” The book will pick up during the “reconstruction period” after the franchise’s apocalyptic war. “The Dark Days — as the country of Panem struggles back to its feet — [provide] fertile ground for characters to grapple with these questions and thereby define their views of humanity.”
The four Hunger Games films were developed by Lionsgate, starring Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, grossing nearly $1.5 billion combined. Makes sense to make another movie!
‘Hunger Games’ Prequel Novel Coming in 2020 [The Hollywood Reporter]
Lionsgate Eyes ‘Hunger Games’ Movie Prequel [The Hollywood Reporter]