Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor! If you have been on Tik Tok any time in the past month, you have probably come across a surge of Hunger Games related posts. Creators are making edits of beloved characters, jokes on how they would fare if forced to participate in the Games and analyzing critical moments in both the books and films. While this may seem to be coming from out of nowhere, the last film being released in 2015, this is not so. With the upcoming film The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes set to come out this fall, it seems we are in for what fans are terming a Hunger Games Renaissance and I, for one, am all for it.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes novel was published on May 19, 2020. It was advertised as a prequel to the loved trilogy and will tell the story of Lucy Gray Baird, the forgotten District 12 winner of the 10th annual Hunger Games. The twist, however, is that the novel is told from the perspective of Coriolanus Snow, better known as President Snow to Hunger Games readers. Young Snow’s family has fallen into hard times due to a war the decade prior (which led to the creation of the Hunger Games). Due to his outstanding achievements at the Academy, a top school in the Capitol, Coriolanus has been chosen to mentor a tribute, the Lucy Gray Baird, better known as Lucy Gray. The novel follows the pair as they work together, Lucy’s fate in the Games affecting Snow and Snow’s tutelage of Lucy influencing her chances of survival. The reception of this prequel has not been as well received as any of the original trilogy and the reviews are mixed, contributing to an average of 3.83 stars on Goodreads.
Despite these varying reviews, the momentum of the Hunger Games Renaissance has renewed fans’ love for books and films, leaving them anticipating a new addition to the universe. Another reason for excitement is the cast list. Lucy Gray will be played by Rachel Zegler, who you might know as Maria from Steven Spielberg’s 2021 West Side Story. Coriolanus Snow will be played by Tom Blyth, who recently starred in the television series Billy the Kid. Other celebrities set to star in the film include Viola Davis, Hunter Schafer, and Peter Dinklage. With this list of cast members, who wouldn’t be excited?
To add to the fervor, the official Instagram account for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes released a new poster this past week. It shows two golden figures, a bird and a snake, both lunging for the other. They are surrounded by golden flowers and branches. This has just added more fuel to the already blazing fire in the Hunger Games Renaissance. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is set to release on November 17, 2023, with many fans, me included, eagerly awaiting its premiere.