Get ready to lose your fucking minds, Hunger Games fans, because Suzanne Collins‘ prequel has a name, a title and a RELEASE DATE. Huge, I know.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, the official Hunger Games prequel is out on May 19, 202 via Scholastic, according to Good Morning America. The book will cover all of the madness in Panem that lead up to the first novel in the dystopian young adult book series.
EXCLUSIVE: We just revealed the cover and title of the brand new @Scholastic “Hunger Games” book – “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes”! https://t.co/LUKfafEEKb pic.twitter.com/Gr3ZrRoFMu
— Good Morning America (@GMA) October 4, 2019
“With this book, I wanted to explore the state of nature, who we are, and what we perceive is required for our survival,” Collins previously said. “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.”
But we didn’t just get a title, we also got a cover design to freak out over before the book hits shelves next May.
The story takes place 64 years prior to the events of the first novel (and subsequent film series) that saw children fighting to the death. The prequel will take us back to the 10th annual Hunger Games, and will follow the story before young Katniss Everdeen ever volunteered as tribute. The story will focus on the time directly after the failed “Dark Days” rebellion.
If the success of the previous books are anything to go off, we might even see The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes portrayed on the big screen in a feature-length film. Considering the previous films grossed a whopping $3 billion at the box office, it wouldn’t be surprising if Lionsgate wanted to capitalise on the hype one more time.
“As the proud home of the Hunger Games movies, we can hardly wait for Suzanne’s next book to be published,” Lionsgate chairman Joe Drake said “We’ve been communicating with her during the writing process and we look forward to continuing to work closely with her on the movie.”
Now, I don’t know about you, but that sounds to me like we should expect another instalment in the film series too.
Fans on Twitter were quick to react to the news, reminding us all that everyone is still very obsessed with Suzanne Collins’ hit series.
https://twitter.com/C_Arreola/status/1180102735045238784
WHY AM I CRYING 😭😍
my love for the hunger games has come flooding back, I can’t wait for this pic.twitter.com/aP3CQClLPo— lydia (@claflinart) October 4, 2019
If you need me, I’ll be re-reading all of the books in preparation to lose my fucking mind in May 2020.
