'Hunger Games' Prequel Confirmed, Focuses on President Coriolanus Snow

According to The Hollywood Reporter, a prequel to the Hunger Games franchise is now confirmed, with Francis Lawrence returning as director, confirming previous rumors.

Lawrence will reprise his role after previously directing the sequel movies in the series Catching Fire as well as parts one and two to Mockingjay. The film will be made under Lionsgate and is based on the upcoming novel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by the Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins. According to a short synopsis, the new story will follow a younger version of the villain President Coriolanus Snow, who interestingly plays the main protagonist this time round, described as “a teenager born to privilege but searching for something more, a far cry from the man we know he will become. Here, he’s friendly. He’s charming. And, for now anyway, he’s a hero.”

You can find a small snippet of the upcoming novel below, courtesy of Entertainment Weekly:

“The grand staircase up to the Academy could hold the entire student body, so it easily accommodated the stream of officials, professors, and students headed for the reaping day festivities. Coriolanus climbed it slowly, attempting a casual dignity in case he caught anyone’s eye. People knew him—or at least they had known his parents and grandparents—and there was a certain standard expected of a Snow. This year, beginning this very day, he was hoping to achieve personal recognition as well. Mentoring in the Hunger Games was his final project before graduating from the Academy in midsummer. If he gave an impressive performance as a mentor, with his outstanding academic record, Coriolanus should be awarded a monetary prize substantial enough to cover his tuition at the University.”

There’s currently no production date set for the upcoming prequel, so fans of the franchise should stay tuned for more news to come.

Elsewhere in entertainment, Sony Pictures is developing a live-action adaptation of One Punch Man.