The Hunger Games franchise isn’t over after all. Over a decade after author Suzanne Collins first published her massively successful novels, she’s returning to the franchise for a prequel story. And obviously you know what that means; a movie is already in development at Lionsgate.
The novel will be set in Panem 64 years before the events of the original trilogy. The original books followed hero Katniss Everdeen, as she surged in popularity on the titular televised deathmatch. That eventually led to an uprising against the fascist government controlling the games.
Collins’ prequel is due to be published on May 19, 2020. Chairman of the Lionsgate Motion Picture group Joe Drake quickly revealed that the studio is not wasting any time in developing a movie adaptation:
“As the proud home of the Hunger Games movies, we can hardly wait for Suzanne’s next book to be published. We’ve been communicating with her during the writing process and we look forward to continuing to work closely with her on the movie”.
The first Hunger Games movie hit cinemas in 2012, surprising Hollywood with an incredible opening weekend. It eventually grossed $694.4 million worldwide off a modest $78 million budget, making the franchise a legitimate player and turning Jennifer Lawrence into a movie star. The following three films all grossed over $650 million worldwide as well.
It’s no surprise that Lionsgate is immediately moving forward with a prequel. While The Hunger Games might not be as powerful as something like the MCU, a new film in the franchise is still practically an excuse to print money. Prequel ideas have been teased for years, and the studio is likely ecstatic that Collins is writing the novel herself.
We’ll wait and see how the prequel tackles the early days of the games. Expect the protagonist role to be very sought after considering what Katniss Everdeen did for Lawrence’s career. Also expect this prequel film to make a lot of money, and lead to a bunch of sequels; Hollywood isn’t going to pass up an opportunity for even more Hunger Games films.
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