The world of The Hunger Games is headed back to the big screen, with The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes set to be released in November. The prequel film to the blockbuster saga has wowed fans thus far with its trailers and other glimpses of footage — and now we have a major indication of what to expect. On Tuesday, it was officially announced (via the MPA’s Film Ratings website) that The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes has been rated PG-13 “for strong violent content and disturbing material.” Those who have read the source material, Suzanne Collins’ 2020 book of the same name, probably won’t be surprised by this content warning.
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“The opening of the games we call ‘the bloodbath’,” director Francis Lawrence said in a recent interview. “And that’s exactly what [star Rachel Zegler] had to jump into right away. She was leaving [the set] bruised pretty much every day, but those fighter qualities came in.”
What Is The Hunger Games Prequel About?
In The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, 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’s race against time to survive will ultimately reveal who is a songbird, and who is a snake.
The ensemble cast for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes also includes 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. Nina Jacobson will executive produce alongside her producing partner Brad Simpson, as well as Lawrence, Collins, and Tim Palen.
Will There Be Other Hunger Games Spinoffs?
For years, fans have campaigned for other expansions of the franchise’s lore, including a deeper look at the 50th Hunger Games won by Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson), and the 65th Hunger Games won by Finnick Odair (Sam Claflin). In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Lawrence hinted that he isn’t opposed to the possibility, but any future chapters will probably have to be rooted in an idea from Collins herself.
“I liked being part of the series originally because the stories are great,” Lawrence explained. “But what was always gratifying was that they were always about something. Suzanne always writes from a thematic foundation. The original ones were all about the consequences of war. [Songbirds and Snakes is] about the state of nature. That’s what makes them feel rich and not superficial, and I think it’s why they’ve stood the test of time, honestly… If Suzanne has another thematic idea that she feels fits into the world of Panem — whether that’s with new people [or] familiar characters [like] Finnick, Haymitch, whoever — I’d be really interested in looking at it and being a part of it. But I don’t have any pull of just going, ‘I would love to do Finnick’s games.’ He’s a great character, but what’s the thematic underpinnings that make it worth telling and relevant?”
What do you think of the rating for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is set to be released exclusively in theaters on November 17th.
