'Hunger Games' movie prequel being planned by Lionsgate, to be set 64 years before the first book
Fans of the 'Hunger Games' finally have a reason to rejoice after four long years, as a prequel movie will be in the works soon. Lionsgate has just announced the production which will be based on a forthcoming novel from the author of the original books, Suzanne Collins.
“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,” Joe Drake, chairman of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, said Monday in a statement.
The best selling dystopian trilogy by Collins shot to immediate fame after it came out, and grew popular with the young adult crowd with its representation of a rebellious teen fighting for her and her community's right to thrive in a politically tense environment of the future. The books are titled 'The Hunger Games', 'Catching Fire', and 'Mockingjay' and were published by Scholastic starting in 2008. The books were later turned into four films, featuring Jennifer Lawrence as the protagonist, Katniss Everdeen. Set in the fictional world of Panem - a North American country with 12 districts - the story has children selected from each district via lottery to participate in a compulsory death match called the Hunger Games.
Collins's upcoming novel is still untitled but will be released by Scholastic, and set 64 years before the events of the original 'Hunger Games' kicks off. “With this book, I wanted to explore the state of nature, who we are, and what we perceive is required for our survival,” Collins said in a statement. “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.”
The 'Hunger Games' film franchise grossed nearly $3 billion worldwide. The movies also star Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, and Elizabeth Banks. The prequel doesn't have an assigned cast, director, or screenwriter on board as it is still in the early stages.
