Exclusive From The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Set! 10th Hunger Games Poster

click for full sizeExclusive From The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes set! This 10th Hunger Games propaganda poster was photographed when they were filming at Landschaftspark-Nord, Duisburg, Germany back in August and sent to us by someone who wishes to remain anonymous.

You can see there are 13 stars on the poster - possibly representing the 12 districts and the larger star perhaps for the winner, or for the Capitol? There are also 12 wings on the ring. The poster looks to be heavily inspired by German propaganda art of the 1930’s.

For example, above is the actual cover of the program for the 1936 Berlin Olympics, an extremely controversial Olympics.

Before we were a fan site we created original art about The Hunger Games series, especially propaganda art referencing vintage German, Soviet, and North Vietnamese propaganda, so these aspects of the production design are always extra exciting for us to see! Fun fact: the Mockingjay production team used a modified version of one of our earliest Hunger Games pieces in the Mockingjay films. 

More photos from The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes set can be found here, here and here.

Arena, Hanging Tree, District 12? The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Rumored Filming Locations

It looks like the Centennial Hall and Wroclaw Zoo in Wrocław, Poland, and Landschaftspark in Duisburg, Germany are some of the recently discovered filming locations for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes film currently in production. 

POLAND

Centennial Hall

Some of the actors were recently spotted near Centennial Hall in Wroclaw Poland, along with shuttle vans bearing butterfly stickers in their windows (the working title for the production is Butterfly), lots of screened off areas, set lights, production trucks and trailers, some Peacekeepers in uniform and some Panem posters and symbols.

Image via @BalladofPanem on twitterImage via @BalladofPanem on twitter

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Tom Blyth has been cast as young Coriolanus Snow in 'The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes'

Tom Blyth, currently starring in Epix’s new Western adventure series Billy The Kid, has been cast as the young President Coriolanus Snow in the upcoming Hunger Games prequel film, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes! 

“Tom's performance will both fulfill and disrupt everything you think you know about Coriolanus Snow. He's a tremendous talent who will show why Snow always lands on top.” said Nina Jacobson. Director Francis Lawrence added, "Coriolanus Snow is many things — a survivor, a loyal friend, a cutthroat, a kid quick to fall in love, and a young man ambitious to his core," Tom's take on Snow showed us all the complex ambiguities of this young man as he transforms into the tyrant he would become."

The film, based on the prequel novel by Suzanne Collins, tells the origin story of a teenage Coriolanus Snow (played by Donald Sutherland in the original movies) and how he starts down the path of becoming the tyrannical President of Panem.

Here's Tom talking about the role, the films and books. It seems like he completely gets why so many of us love The Hunger Games and the universe Suzanne Collins' created. 

The film arrives in theaters November 17, 2023.

Suzanne Collins on 'The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes'

Photo by Todd Plitt

It’s always a treat to hear what goes through Suzanne Collins mind when she’s writing! Here's a great (and rare) interview with Suzanne and David Levithan, VP, Publisher and Editorial Director at Scholastic, and one of her editors, about the making of the book. There are a few spoilers if you haven’t read the book yet! Read on at your own risk.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

David Levithan: I’ll start with the two questions I’m sure most readers will want to ask: Did you always plan to return to Panem after the trilogy with a book set sixty-four years earlier? And if not, what made you return to the story in this way? 

Suzanne Collins: Here’s how it works now. I have two worlds, the Underland (the world of The Underland Chronicles series) and Panem (the world of The Hunger Games). I use both of them to explore elements of just war theory. When I find a related topic that I want to examine, then I look for the place it best fits. The state of nature debate of the Enlightenment period naturally lent itself to a story centered on Coriolanus Snow. 

Focusing on the 10th Hunger Games also gave me the opportunity to tell Lucy Gray’s story. In the first chapter of The Hunger Games, I make reference to a fourth District 12 victor. Katniss doesn’t seem to know anything about the person worth mentioning. While her story isn’t well-known, Lucy Gray lives on in a significant way through her music, helping to bring down Snow in the trilogy. Imagine his reaction when Katniss starts singing “Deep in the Meadow” to Rue in the arena. Beyond that, Lucy Gray’s legacy is that she introduced entertainment to the Hunger Games. 

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The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is Here! Plus Suzanne Collins Reads From Chapter 3

Happy Hunger Games prequel release day, tributes! The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is finally here! If you haven't grabbed your copy yet you can order it on kindle HERE and have it on your phone or tablet in less than a minute. 

Bonus  - Story time with Suzanne Collins! Watch as she reads from Chapter 3 of the book:

We can't wait to hear what you think of the new book! Let us know in the comments or on social media. 

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. 

‘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!