The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, this is the original title, is a book that Collins published in May 2020 precisely as a prequel story to his original trilogy: set decades before the adventures of Katniss Everdeen (the heroine played by Lawrence), the new story centers on a young Coriolanus Snow, who will later become the tyrannical president of the terrifying post-apocalyptic nation of Panem; Snow, who in the three films was now played as an elderly person by Donald Sutherland, at the time of the tenth Hunger Games (Katniss had participated in the 74th, just to give a time reference), is chosen as the mentor of Lucy Gray Baird, a young girl chosen as a tribute to the central government by the very poor District 12, starting a path that will lead him to embrace the most violent nature of humanity.
The film based on the novel is currently in the production phase, even if great confidentiality is still maintained on the cast of the characters. What is known, however, is that the director Francis Lawrence, veteran of the saga, will return to direct while the screenplay has been entrusted to Michael Arndt, who had already adapted that of The girl on fire, the second chapter of the trilogy. The Expendables 4 with Sylvester Stallone and the coming-of-age story Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.