New The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes Featurette Welcomes You Back to Panem

The Hunger Games films were a massive success when they were released, with fans excited to return to the world of the franchise with the upcoming prequel The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. With nearly a decade having passed since audiences spent time in the dystopian world, an all-new featurette for the upcoming prequel brings us back to Panem to refresh viewers about what the world has become, while also showcasing the ways in which this world isn't quite audiences might remember, as the new film is set before The Hunger Games. Check out the featurette below before The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes hits theaters on November 17th.

The new film is described, "Experience the story of The Hunger Games -- 64 years before Katniss Everdeen volunteered as tribute, and decades before Coriolanus Snow became the tyrannical President of Panem. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes follows a young Coriolanus (Tom Blyth) who is the last hope for his failing lineage, the once-proud Snow family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol. With his livelihood threatened, Snow is reluctantly assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), a tribute from the impoverished District 12. But after Lucy Gray's charm captivates the audience of Panem, Snow sees an opportunity to shift their fates. With everything he has worked for hanging in the balance, Snow unites with Lucy Gray to turn the odds in their favor. Battling his instincts for both good and evil, Snow sets out on a race against time to survive and reveal if he will ultimately become a songbird or a snake."

The prequel also stars Hunter Schafer, Jason Schwartzman, Laurel Marsden, Viola Davis, Peter Dinklage, Jose Andrés Rivera, Ashley Liao, Mackenzie Lansing, Irene Boehm, Cooper Dillon, Luna Kuse, Kjell Brutscheidt, Dimitri Abold, Athena Strates, Dakota Shapiro, George Somner and Vaughan Reilly, Lilly Maria Cooper, Sofia Sannchez, and Max Raphael.

The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes was directed by former The Hunger Games director Francis Lawrence. Much like the original The Hunger Games films, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is based on the novel by Suzanne Collins.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes hits theaters on November 17th.  

Are you looking forward to the new prequel? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!