“The Hunger Games” Is Officially Returning, So Here’s What You Need To Know About The New Prequel Film

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If you're anything like me, then at some point in your life, you probably worshipped The Hunger Games series.

Katniss Everdeen

And hey, maybe you're still in that era, I'm certainly not here to judge.

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And now, over a decade after the first film came out, our favorite franchise is finally coming back!!!! There's another movie currently in the works, and it's, like, really happening, guys!

Screenshot from "The Hunger Games"
Lions Gate / ©Lions Gate/Courtesy Everett Collection

So, here's everything we know about the new movie so far:

1.It's called The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and is based on Suzanne Collins's novel that came out in 2020.

2.It's set to be released in theaters on November 17, 2023.

3.The movie will be a prequel and take place 64 years before The Hunger Games. It follows a teenage Coriolanus "Coryo" Snow as he mentors a tribute named Lucy Gray Baird during Panem's 10th Annual Hunger Games.

Screenshot from "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes"

4.The story also explores Panem's tragic history, how the Hunger Games came to be, the citizens of the Capitol, and their initial distaste for the games.

A set tour of the new Hunger Games movies

5.Tom Blyth stars as Coriolanus Snow (who was played by Donald Sutherland in the original movies).

Closeup of Tom Blyth
Cindy Ord / Getty Images, Lions Gate / ©Lions Gate/Courtesy Everett Collection

6.Rachel Zegler stars as Lucy Gray Baird, a District 12 tribute.

Closeup of Rachel Zegler
Arturo Holmes / Getty Images

7.Hunter Schafer plays Coriolanus's cousin Tigris and confidante (played by Eugenie Bondurant in Mockingjay — Part 2).

Closeup of Hunter Schafer
Monica Schipper / Getty Images, Lionsgate

8.Viola Davis plays Dr. Volumnia Gaul, who is the 10th Annual Hunger Games gamemaker, a scientist, and the brains behind the Capitol's experimental weapons division.

Closeup of Viola Davis
Rodin Eckenroth / FilmMagic

9.Jason Schwartzman plays Lucretius 'Lucky' Flickerman, ancestor to the iconic Caesar Flickerman (played by Stanley Tucci in the original movies).

Closeup of Jason Schwartzman
Gregg Deguire / WireImage, Lions Gate / ©Lions Gate/Courtesy Everett Collection

10.Peter Dinklage plays Casca Highbottom, the dean of Snow's school and the unintentional creator of the Hunger Games.

Closeup of Peter Dinklage
Angela Weiss / AFP via Getty Images

11.Josh Andrés Rivera plays Sejanus Plinth, Coriolanus's close friend who serves as a mentor for the tributes of District 2.

Closeup of Josh Andres Rivera
Valerie Macon / AFP via Getty Images

12.There will also be a whole new cast of tributes and mentors played by Ashley Liao, Knox Gibson, Mackenzie Lansing, Sofia Sanchez, Zoe Renee, Jerome Lance, and more.

Closeup of Ashley Liao
Emma Mcintyre / WireImage, Jason Mendez / Getty Images for Tribeca Festival, Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images for Disney

13.Francis Lawrence, who directed The Hunger Games' second, third, and fourth movies, will be returning to direct this movie.

Behind the scenes of one of the "Hunger Games" films

14.Michael Arndt wrote the screenplay for the movie, he also adapted The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

Screenshot from "Catching Fire"
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That's all for now, but rest assured we will definitely be adding more news as it comes out! So, for now, happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor.