“The Hunger Games” is a very successful franchise, ranking as the 21st highest-grossing movie franchise of all time. The books are equally as popular, with more than 100 million copies in print worldwide. The series is one of the most popular young-adult novels ever released. 

If you have ever read the books or watched the movies, you will know that President Snow is the villain of the story. Have you ever wondered why President Snow became the antagonist we loathed? If you have, today’s your lucky day. On May 19th, 2020, Suzanne Collins, the author of The Hunger Games, released a new book titled “The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes”. In that book, we learn all about President Snow’s backstory. If that isn’t exciting enough, a movie adaption is currently in the works. At the 2022 CinemaCon, Lionsgate announced when the film will be released. Mark your calendars for November 17th, 2023. 

Now that we know when it will hit the big screens, what do we know so far about this new movie? 

In the first “Hunger Games” book, we learn about the Capitol. Only the most wealthy and powerful people live in the Capitol. It is also the ruling government. Every year, for entertainment, and to remind the districts of how powerful the Capitol is,  one boy and one girl from each district are drawn from a hat. When the tributes are pulled, they are trained and eventually sent into an arena to compete against the other districts’ tributes. The tributes must kill one another until only one remains. However, the tributes from District 12, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, beat the system and both come out of the Games as victors. This sets off an uprising and the Capitol is broken down. During all of this, we read about President Snow trying to stop the riots and enforce the Capitol’s rules tenfold. After the Capitol is overthrown, Snow is convicted and sentenced to death. However, it is never explained how Snow became President or why he is so evil. Fourteen years after the first book was released, we finally have an answer. 

The official synopsis for the movie reads: “Years before he would become the tyrannical President of Panem, 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) is the last hope for his fading lineage, a once-proud family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol. With the 10th annual Hunger Games fast approaching, the young Snow is alarmed when he is assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), the girl tribute from impoverished District 12. But, after Lucy Gray commands all of Panem’s attention by defiantly singing during the reaping ceremony, Snow thinks he might be able to turn the odds in their favor. Uniting their instincts for showmanship and newfound political savvy, Snow and Lucy Gray’s race against time to survive will ultimately reveal who is a songbird, and who is a snake.”

VanityFair’s interview on the movie says the film will dive deeper into the history of Panem and the wars that led to The Hunger Games being created. This movie will take place 64 years before the events of The Hunger Games. The producer, Nina Jacobson, says “It’s completely different stylistically, in terms of design, character, and point of view. To be able to show a different side of Panem at a different time in its history has been really exciting.” The director, Francis Lawrence, states that Uli Hansich, the production designer, has been working to make a “new version” of Panem. “We also get to remake District 12, remake all of the Capitol, and a brand-new arena.” Despite the new designs and architecture, the movie will include callbacks to the original movies and books as well. 

In the same interview, Lawrence says, “This is very much a story about love. It’s this kind of love story set in a different kind of world in a different time.” Jacobson added, “He is a young man finding his way in the world, but he also makes choices that presage the man he is becoming.” This movie will feature Snow caught in the midst of a love triangle between Lucy Gray Baird, a charming and sweet girl, and Dr. Volumnia Gaul, who is described as “villainous”. Jacobson says, “He is a shape-shifter who craves control, but is drawn to a woman who threatens everything he thought he wanted.”  

The article describes Lucy Gray Baird as being like The Hunger Games female lead, Katniss Everdeen, in the sense that she is a tribute from District 12. However, their similarities end there. Lucy is from a group that is close-knit and she is a musician. Lucy is also very outgoing and charms everyone she meets. Katniss is described as the total opposite in The Hunger Games. Lucy’s relationship with Snow is first shown in the arena, but very quickly it becomes apparent that there is more to them than what the camera sees. 

In the third and final Hunger Games book, Katniss sings a song called “The Hanging Tree.” Francis Lawrence teased that the movie will give us background on where that song came from, history on some of the other music, the history of the Games, and, of course, President Snow. Fans online have expressed how excited they are for The Hunger Games to be returning, as well as how they cannot wait to finally learn more about Snow and see a new era of Panem. November can’t come soon enough.