The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes First Teaser Poster Released

Lionsgate is gearing up to release a prequel to their hit franchise based on a young adult novel series of the same name, The Hunger Games. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes will hit theaters later this year and will feature a cast that includes Rachel Zegler (Shazam! Fury of the Gods) and Tom Blyth (The Gilded Age). The film has long been in development, and fans were wondering when they would get their first look at what's coming. Now, it seems that the studio has opted to drop a minor tease at the future of The Hunger Games franchise. Lionsgate has officially revealed the first teaser poster for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. 

You can check out the poster below.

What is The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes About?

The studio describes the film as follows, "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."

Director Francis Lawrence Calls Prequel a Love Story

"This is a love story," director Francis Lawrence, who also helmed the previous three Hunger Games movies, told Vanity Fair. "It's this kind of love story set in a different kind of a world in a different time. A very intimate love story."

While Zegler takes the franchise reins from Jennifer Lawrence, director Francis Lawrence emphasized that this new leading lady is very different from Katniss Everdeen.

"This is not with judgment, but Lucy Gray is the anti-Katniss," Francis continued. "She's a musician, she's a performer, she's a charmer… Snow has never met a girl like this before."

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes hits theaters on November 17th, 2023.

What do you think about the poster? Are you excited for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes? Let us know in the comments below or by hitting up our writer @NateBrail on Twitter!