Lionsgate's The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, a prequel to The Hunger Games prequel film has been officially announced and will be based on Suzanne Collins' novel of the same name, telling the story of young Coriolanus Snow 64 years before the events of her first book in the acclaimed series.
The original films told the story of Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), a tribute from District 12 competing in the Capitol's annual Hunger Games. However, when she defies President Snow's (Donald Sutherland) showcase of primal violence by not conforming to his games, her act makes her a rebellious symbol against his tyranny. Other districts are quick to her plight against Snow and the Capitol to demolish the Games and restore balance and peace within The Hunger Games is arguably the definitive YA franchise, so it's no wonder that Collins and the studio are so eager to revisit that world with a new story.
Snow is already a controversial decision, so the novel and film must cautiously approach the character that audiences know will become a cruel dictator. In any case, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes will struggle to match the success of the original The Hunger Games films.
Hollywood doesn't have a good history with prequels. Commercially, they tend to be less successful than the franchise they're leading into. Neither were considered successes, and even Star Wars is fixing its prequels with The Clone Wars. New franchise-starters are usually successful because of their originality, and prequels normally exist as a means of cashing in on an already well-established property. Though Collins' story may end up being a worthy addition to The Hunger Games' world, the track record of YA prequels is not encouraging.
Unfortunately, the decision to make Coriolanus the protagonist of the book is also not appealing to fans. Though the worked for 2019's Joker, but on its surface, Snow's arc doesn't lend itself to any kind of sympathetic portrayal; he isn't as typical a YA lead like Katniss, whose moral com made her such a great protagonist to anchor a franchise.
As the Young Adult movie craze isn't what it used to be. Maybe Collins can bring it back, but the odds aren't stacked in the favor of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
