A prequel to the Hunger Games film franchise is planned for the first half of 2022.

This was announced by the head of studio Lionsgate Joe Drake as part of a quarterly talk about the company's earnings with the participation of experts from Wall Street.

At the moment, the premiere of the tape, which is the studio's key project, is scheduled for autumn 2023.

According to Drake, the pre-production work on the film is progressing very well.

As for the release format, the tape is intended primarily for showing in cinemas.

Joe Drake suggested that there is an audience that wants to return to theaters - so the market will recover and Lionsgate will be able to profit from its products.

The plot of the new film will be based on the book "The Ballad of Serpents and Songbirds" by Susan Collins (she also authored the trilogy, based on which all films of the franchise were shot).

The novel was released on May 19, 2020.

The protagonist is Coriolanus Snow, known to readers and viewers as the President of Panema.

The story tells of his youth.

The action of the film will unfold 64 years before the events of the first part of the Hunger Games.

  • Jennifer Lawrence in The Hunger Games

  • © Still from the film "The Hunger Games"

At this time, Snow is 18 years old, and his previously powerful family will go through hard times.

The hero gets a chance to succeed in life: he is chosen as the mentor of the tribute before the tenth Hunger Games.

However, the singer Lucy Gray Baird becomes Snow's student.

She does not have good physical fitness and lives in the same poor 12th district, from which Katniss Everdeen will be nominated for the games decades later.

This circumstance complicates the hero's task.

Snow has to weigh every decision, and his feelings come into conflict with interests.

The Ballad of Snakes and Songbirds came out almost ten years after the final novel of the original trilogy, Mockingjay.

“Susan's new book was worth the wait.

It meets all the expectations and hopes of the Hunger Games fans and at the same time opens up new horizons and introduces us to completely new characters, "said Joe Drake.

Preparations for filming began in April 2020.

The film adaptation will be directed by Francis Lawrence.

He previously directed three of the four films in the franchise: The Hunger Games Catching Fire, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay.

Part I ”and“ The Hunger Games: Mockingjay.

Part II ".

The tape will be produced by Nina Jacobson, who took part in the work on the entire series.

She will be joined by newcomer Brad Simpson ("Where are you gone, Bernadette?", "Goldfinch").

The cast of the upcoming tape has not yet been announced.

The performer of the role of Pete Mellark, Josh Hutcherson, in an interview with RT, noted that he would agree to take part in the filming if he received such an offer.

“Susan Collins has written an incredible series of books, and in this world there is still a lot of unknown things ... Let's see what happens.

But the prospect of a new film makes me very happy, ”said the artist.

The adaptation of the novel will be handled by Susan Collins herself, as well as Michael Arndt, one of the creators of the script for the second part of the franchise.

Collins will also executive produce the film.

Jim Miller will oversee the production.

The Hunger Games book trilogy came out in 2008-2010.

This is a dystopia set in the fictional state of Panem in North America.

Every year, the Hunger Games are held here, in which two representatives from each region (district) participate.

All players, except for the winner, are destined to die.

In the next games, Katniss Everdeen and Pete Mellark rise up against this order.

The first novel tops Amazon's best-selling sci-fi action and adventure books for kids list.

In 2012, the platform also reported that sales of the trilogy had broken the previous record held by the Harry Potter books.

  • Lenny Kravitz, Woody Harrelson and Josh Katerson in The Hunger Games

  • © Still from the film "The Hunger Games"

The films also showed impressive results at the box office.

The cumulative gross of all four films is just under $ 3 billion. The second film, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, earned more than $ 865 million worldwide at the box office.

At the same time, she earned the most positive reviews from critics and viewers.

Its "freshness" rating on Rotten Tomatoes is 90%, and the film was positively rated by 89% of the audience.

The indicators of the remaining parts are at least 65%.

The Hunger Games has starred such artists as Jennifer Lawrence, Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland, Liam Hemsworth, Sam Claflin, Lenny Kravitz, Stanley Tucci and other celebrities.