The Hunger Games will soon make its return to the pop culture panorama in the form of a prequel novel, which will see author Suzanne Collins return to the dystopian society of Panem, except at a time well before Katniss Everdeen even existed, much less ignited the titular contest as the Girl on Fire.
Collins’s yet-to-be-titled Panem prequel novel – a long-awaited continuation of the franchise – is officially scheduled for the release date of May 19, 2020. As you can see in the teaser poster, there is a thematic display of a feather, a symbolic reference to birds, which are often utilized by the franchise to represent hope.
The new novel will be set on Panem (post-apocalyptic North America) 64 years before the events of Collins’s 100 million-selling trilogy – 2008’s The Hunger Games, 2009’s Catching Fire and 2010’s Mockingjay – which, of course, were the basis for Lionsgate’s box-office-breaking film adaptations starring Jennifer Lawrence – released successively in 2012, 2013, with the final story split into two films, released in 2014 and 2015. While those novels depicted the exploits of Katniss Everdeen, who became a symbol of hope for a starving populace once kept docile by the annual games – eventually leading to a successful revolution – the prequel will chronicle a failed early populace revolt known as “the Dark Days.” As Collins explains in a statement of the direction of the prequel:
“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 10 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.”
Publisher Scholastic (who are undoubtedly sporting a collective grin with dollar signs in their eyes,) chime in on the announcement, with Scholastic Trade Publishing President Ellie Berger lauding:
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“Suzanne Collins is a master at combining brilliant storytelling, superb world building, breathtaking suspense, and social commentary. 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.”
Also likely sporting a collective grin with dollar signs in their eyes is studio Lionsgate, which – after vice chairman Michael Burns previously toyed around with prequel plans – wasted no time at all telegraphing its movie adaptation intentions. While no official agreements were confirmed, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chairman Joe Drake now says in a statement to AP:
“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.”
The original trilogy was inspired by what Collins saw as a disturbing pop culture intersection between the ubiquity of reality television, and what was on the news – specifically, at the time, footage of the invasion of Iraq. Thus, a dystopian dynamic was envisioned, in which those elements became the bread and circuses utilized by a totalitarian government to distract a starving populace. With the first book chronicling the events of the 74th Hunger Games – the annual event in which lottery-drawn teens compete in an live-broadcasted outdoor arena deathmatch – the prequel’s 64-year-back time setting will showcase a time when the Games were only around for a decade and a first-generation populace who may not yet be fully accepted by the society as the norm. Indeed, as Collins further explains:
“We have so much programming coming at us all the time. Is it too much? Are we becoming desensitized to the entire experience?” She adds, “Dystopian stories are places where you can play out the scenarios in your head — your anxieties — and see what might come of them. And, hopefully, as a young person, with the possibilities of the future waiting for you, you’re thinking about how to head these things off.”
We will certainly keep you updated on The Hunger Games prequel novel (and its inevitable movie prospects) as the news arrives!
Joseph Baxter is a contributor for Den of Geek and Syfy Wire. You can find his work here. Follow him on Twitter @josbaxter.