'The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes': Listen To The First 11 Minutes of the Hunger Games Prequel Novel

Listen to an extended excerpt from the official audiobook of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Suzanne Collins' upcoming Hunger Games prequel! The story follows an 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow as he prepares for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the 10th Hunger Games. He's up against a lot: His family has fallen on hard times, and he's forced to guide the female tribute from District 12, considered the lowest of the low. Suddenly, their fates are intertwined.

The book is headed to film with the dream team from the last 3 movies, Suzanne Collins adapting the book for film, Francis Lawrence directing, and Nina Jacobson producing.

 

Santino Fontana, Tony-winning Broadway star of Tootsie and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend alum, reads the audiobook. “You think you know someone but there are a lot of surprises,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “You're going to understand a lot more of why he is the way he is.”

Listen to 11+ minutes of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes' first chapter at the link below. The book is available in hardcover and audiobook on May 19 and is available for pre-order HERE.

 

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Chapter 1

More about the book:

It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute.  

The odds are against him. He’s been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined — every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute . . . and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.

 

Listen To Suzanne Collins Read An Exclusive Excerpt From 'The Hunger Games' Prequel - with a surprise returning character!

In this exclusive clip posted on Bustle, The Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins reads the opening scene from The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. She introduces the book's protagonist, a young President Snow, and his very familiar cousin. Listen in! 

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes will be released on May 19th, 2020. You can pre-order your copy now. 

The Dream Team is Back for Another Hunger Games Movie: Francis Lawrence, Suzanne Collins & Nina Jacobson Reunite for The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes At Lionsgate

Exciting news, tributes! Our favorite team is BACK to bring us another Hunger Games film! The Hunger Games franchise filmmaker Francis Lawrence will return to direct the Lionsgate prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes based on Suzanne Collins’ upcoming Scholastic novel available for sale on May 19th. Lawrence directed the last three Hunger Games movies: Catching Fire, Mockingjay Part 1, and Mockingjay Part 2. No casting has been announced, but that doesn’t mean we can't start fan-casting once that book drops. The project will start prep once production can safely resume post COVID-19 pandemic.

We’re thrilled to report that franchise producers Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson are also returning. We know how carefully Nina treated every aspect of the franchise and are so happy she’s back for the prequel(s?). Suzanne Collins will write the film’s treatment (HOORAY!) and Michael Arndt, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of Little Miss Sunshine will adapt the screenplay, after previously serving as one of the writers of Catching Fire. It's going to be GOOD! Suzanne Collins also will serve as an Executive Producer.

The deal was overseen by Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chairman Joe Drake, who bought the original book during his previous tenure at the studio as head of the motion picture group. With the release of the new book, Drake made The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes a priority for Lionsgate.

The prequel movie will focus on Coriolanus Snow at age 18, years before he would become the tyrannical President of Panem. Young Coriolanus is handsome and charming, and though the Snow family has fallen on hard times, he sees a chance for a change in his fortunes when he is chosen to be a mentor for the Tenth Hunger Games… only to have his elation dashed when he is assigned to mentor the girl tribute from impoverished District 12.

Commenting on the announcement, Drake said, “Suzanne’s new book has been worth the wait. It offers everything fans could hope for and expect from The Hunger Games while also breaking new ground and introducing an entirely new canvas of characters. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is creatively thrilling and takes this world to complex new dimensions that open up amazing cinematic possibilities. We’re thrilled to reunite this filmmaking team with this very unique franchise, and we can’t wait to begin production.”

“Lionsgate has always been the cinematic home of The Hunger Games, and I’m delighted to be returning to them with this new book,” said Collins. “From the beginning, they have treated the source material with great respect, honoring the thematic and narrative elements of the story, and assembling an incredible team both in front of and behind the camera. It’s such a pleasure to be reuniting with Nina, Francis, and Michael to adapt the novel to the screen, and having them share their remarkable talents, once again, with the world of Panem. I look forward to collaborating with them and all at Lionsgate as we bring The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes to theaters worldwide.”

Jim Miller, the Lionsgate executive who has served as the studio’s project executive on all of the franchise’s films, will oversee the production.

Lionsgate hinted at the possibility of more than one Hunger Games prequel movie in the works on twitter yesterday. “We’re just getting started.”

Order your copy of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes HERE. 

New Set Photos From The Hunger Games + Lionsgate Live Movie Event

Lionsgate opened up their secret vault of Hunger Games goodies yesterday and unearthed some awesome, never before seen set photos from The Hunger Games first film. 

 

SEE MORE:

Click to read more ...

Rest in Peace, Lynn Cohen

Lynn Cohen, the actress who so beautifully portrayed District 4 victor Mags in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, has passed away at 86. Without a single line of dialogue in the film, Lynn completely captured our hearts and became an instant fandom favorite.

 

Lynn was also known for her many years of brilliant theater, television, and film work, most notably as Magda in Sex in The City.

Our heartfelt condolences go out to her loved ones. She will be deeply missed. 

Teenage President Snow Revealed as Star of Hunger Games Prequel in EW Exclusive

Illustration by Charles Chaisson for EW

As we all eagerly await the May 19 release of Suzanne Collins' upcoming Hunger Games prequel novel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Entertainment Weekly is giving us a little taste of what to expect in an exclusive excerpt. In the short snippet we learn that the protagonist of the book is none other than a teenage President Snow, embarking on his first time mentoring in The Hunger Games, assigned to a girl of a certain District.... 

Read the full excerpt at Entertainment Weekly. And stay tuned for the latest here!

The Hunger Games Prequel Novel Title And Cover Art Revealed: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Rejoice, tributes! Author Suzanne Collins’ new Hunger Games prequel novel officially has a name and cover art! Announced Friday on Good Morning America, the upcoming book will be titled The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, and will hit shelves on May 19, 2020.

The book’s cover features a golden mockingjay and snake encircled with a thorned branch over a green and black bullseye background. Ellie Berger, President, Scholastic Trade said in a press release, “It has been thrilling to see the growing excitement from readers around the globe for this new Hunger Games novel. Suzanne Collins is an expert storyteller and world-builder, and in revisiting the world of Panem, she again raises important questions about authority, the use of violence, and the truth of human nature.”

“This cover does an extraordinary job of capturing the conflict—both inner and outer—that lies at the heart of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” said David Levithan, VP, Publisher, and Editorial Director for Scholastic. “The mockingjay has returned, but at a new angle . . . which is very much in line with the story that Suzanne Collins is telling.” 

Cover art for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes projected on to Senate House in central London. Photograph: Dave Benett/Getty Images for Scholastic

ABOUT THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES:

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes will revisit the world of Panem sixty-four years before the events of The Hunger Games, starting on the morning of the reaping of the Tenth Hunger Games.

It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute.

 

The odds are against him. He’s been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined — every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute . . . and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.

On returning to the world of The Hunger Games, Suzanne 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 ten 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.”

You can pre-order your copy of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes right now HERE!

‘Hunger Games’ Dark Days Prequel Novel From Suzanne Collins Coming In 2020 + Lionsgate In Talks For Movie

Rejoice, tributes! Scholastic announced today that will be publishing Suzanne Collins’ new Hunger Games prequel novel next spring! The currently untitled book about the Dark Days of Panem will hit shelves on May 19, 2020.

The novel will be set in the world of Panem on the morning of the reaping of the 10th Hunger Games - 64 years before the events of the original Hunger Games trilogy and well before the lifetime of Katniss Everdeen.

On returning to Panem and The Hunger Games 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 ten 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.

“Suzanne Collins is a master at combining brilliant storytelling, superb world building, breathtaking suspense, and social commentary,” said Ellie Berger, President of Scholastic Trade. “We are absolutely thrilled - as both readers and publishers - to introduce the devoted fans of the series and a new audience to an entirely new perspective on this modern classic.”

Lionsgate is in talks with Collins about adapting the prequel novel into a film, according to a statement from a Lionsgate executive: “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,” said Joe Drake, Chairman of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group about the potential plans for a movie.

Stay tuned!