The Hunger Games took the world by storm a decade ago. The post-apocalypse death game young adult series was a best-seller and gave young readers something to latch onto after Twilight. If you somehow missed the trilogy - it focused on Katniss Everdeen. Everdeen lived in a world where America had been destroyed by nuclear war and the surviving country split into 12 districts. After a rebellion, "The Capital" pushed the 12 districts by holding a battle royale with 24 teenagers every year. The trilogy followed Katniss' journey, with many twists and turns along the way.
Rumors of a new project from author Suzanne Collins had swirled for years. However, they were finally answered when she released a prequel novel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes in 2020. The book, set 64 years before The Hunger Games, follows a young Coriolanus Snow (the future President Snow) and his illicit romance with a District 12 girl he mentors during the 10th Hunger Games. The book was almost immediately optioned for a movie, with some believing it had been written to be optioned. Now, three years later, we are ready to return to the world of Panem.
"The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes" Trailer Promises Teen Romance And Nostalgic Aesthetics
So The Hunger Games: The Ballard of Songbirds and Snakes has a very art deco aesthetic to it. The film is set 10 years after the Hunger Games as a concept have begun. Additionally, this sets it close to the nuclear war that turned America into Panem. The world is yet to embrace the nouveau-futurism of the original trilogy. The film also features a turning point for The Hunger Games, with its tenth iteration set to be the first one that focuses more on media spectacle, than simple death game.
Tom Blyth (Benediction, Billy The Kid) stars as Snow, an ambitious and egotistical Capitol youth in the Gamemakers training program. However, his world is rocked when he is assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (West Side Story's Rachel Zegler). Lucy, much like Katniss, is a rebellious and outspoken tribute from District 12. However, don't expect much actual Hunger Gamesing during this film. As the trailer hints, something goes wrong during the 10th Hunger Games and Snow finds himself torn between loyalty and love in District 12. The film promises a stacked cast including Viola Davis, Peter Dinklage, and Jason Schwartzman. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes debuts on November 17.
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