The Hunger Games, written by Suzanne Collins, is one of the most famous book trilogies written. In 2012, Lionsgate produced a live-action adaptation of the beloved book. After the first movie’s success, they produced Catching Fire, Mockingjay Part 1, and Mockingjay Part 2. The global success brought many more fans into the fandom. Nearly 9 years after the release of Mockingjay (her last book), Collins shocked fans everywhere, announcing “that she would return to the world of Panem.” The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes was officially announced on “June 16, 2019, by Scholastic Press” and released the novel just about a year later. The novel was a sensation among fans and was “the top-selling book in any category for the first half of 2020”. Our High School Librarian, Mrs. Boerner, expressed her feelings as a fan of the franchise, “I was surprised that Collins published a prequel to the Hunger Games trilogy twelve years after the Hunger Games was released. I enjoyed The Ballad of Songbird and Snakes a lot more than I expected.”
So, why is there so much excitement around the prequel? Well, the book is like a window into the past for fans. It has enriched The Hunger Games’ world, giving fans a glimpse of the backstory of President Snow. Sofia Zapata, a Junior and Editor in Chief of the Talon, expressed how she felt about the book, “The book gave continuation to a series that has such a special place in so many people’s hearts, including mine.” The story takes readers to when President Snow was just a teenager during the 10th Annual Hunger Games, showing who he was and who he became. It captured the attention and love of so many readers with Collins’ execution of having the narrator be a character we grew to hate in the original trilogy. Sofia again expressed how Collins’ writing and storytelling really made her love the book. She shared, “The book is so carefully executed. Behind every phrase is a connection to the original trilogy… Plot twist after plot twist, Susanne Collins really does deliver. As many loose ends are woven into the story, many answers are left out, and I loved it.” It’s for these reasons that the novel was a huge success.
The excitement didn’t end there. On April 20, 2020, even before the novel was published, Collins, alongside Lionsgate, announced that they were working on a film adaptation of the novel. Director Francis Lawrence returned as the director of the film to bring the book to life after having major success with The Hunger Games trilogy. Casting was later announced in the middle of 2022, revealing Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones, Avengers: Infinity War) to play Dean Highbottom. Tom Blyth (known for his role in Benediction) had been cast as the young Coriolanus Snow. Rachel Zegler, best known for her role in West Side Story, was cast as Lucy Gray Baird. Jason Schwartzman (The Grand Budapest Hotel, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse) was cast as Lucretius “Lucky” Flickerman. The EGOT winner Viola Davis (The Woman King, How to Get Away With Murder) was cast as Dr. Volumnia Gaul.
The movie started filming back in Wrocław, Poland, in July 2022 and ended in Berlin, Germany, in November 2022. The first trailer dropped four months ago and currently has more than 20 million views on YouTube. The second trailer has more than 16 million views. Fans are incredibly excited about the film and have shown their love and support on social media. According to walesonline.com, fans are in tears after watching the trailer, “This trailer is so good, my god, I have tears running from my face.”The film’s budget was 180 million dollars, and it is “expected to gross US $700 million at the worldwide box office” according to flickonflick.com. However, with the excitement for the adaptation, doubt and uncertainty always come. Hollywood has had previous experience fumbling the bag with beloved book series and film adaptations. According to screenrant.com, Twilight, Percy Jackson, and The Mortal Instruments are all famous and loved book-to-film adaptations that disappointed many fans. Rebbeca Tomasoni expressed her feelings as a fan towards the anticipation of the film as being “quite excited about returning to the world that [she has] grown to love”, as well as echoing the concerns of many fans saying, “I am worried of the potential for disaster the movie might have – since it is infuriating when movies just change the whole original narrative and characters.” On the other hand, The Hunger Games trilogy movie adaptations were a huge success, and in that regard, it gives fans hope and certainty that the film will showcase the story they’ve come to love.
If you haven’t had the chance to read The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, I highly recommend you try it out. The film is set to release on November 17th, 2023, which gives time to enjoy the story and experience the phenomenon that the film will be. If you are interested in reading the book before the film is released, Graded has the book for you to check out. And if you haven’t read The Hunger Games trilogy, the prequel is a great place to start the journey.
Sources:
https://thehungergames.fandom.com/wiki/Mockingjay
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viola_Davis
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/film-news/new-hunger-games-trailer-so-27753693#
https://www.flickonclick.com/the-hunger-games-5-budget-and-box-office-collection-prediction/
https://screenrant.com/worst-book-adaptation-movies-according-to-rotten-tomatoes/
