It’s been a while since we heard anything about the prequel novel to The Hunger Games that Suzanne Collins is currently writing, but EW has swooped in out of nowhere with some juicy details.
The new novel, titled The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes, is set 64 years before the events of the trilogy and will follow antagonist President Snow, revealing the mysteries behind his origin story. It will start on the morning of the reaping of the tenth Hunger Games, where Snow is given the task of mentoring a tribute girl from District 12.
In the prequel, Coriolanus Snow is described as “a teenager born to privilege but searching for something more… he’s friendly. He’s charming. And, for now anyway, he’s a hero.” Something must have gone very wrong somewhere.
The book comes 12 years after the publication of the first instalment in the Hunger Games series, and is scheduled to launch on 19 May 2020.
In a previous statement, Collins said: “With this book, I wanted to explore the state of nature, who we are and what we perceive is required for our survival. The reconstruction period 10 years after the war, commonly referred to as the Dark Days — as the country of Panem struggles back to its feet — provides fertile ground for characters to grapple with these questions and thereby define their views of humanity.”
Though the book hasn’t yet been released, it already has a film adaptation in the works at Lionsgate, which announced its intensions to expand the successful film franchise last year.
The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes by Suzanne Collins will be released on 19 May 2020. Get all the latest sci-fi news with every issue of SciFiNow.