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Francis Lawrence, who helmed three chapters of “The Hunger Games” franchise, has been tapped to direct the recently-announced prequel.
Author Suzanne Collins’ “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” – which hits book shelves in May – is set before the events of the original trilogy and it fixes on the younger years of future tyrant Coriolanus Snow (played in the films by Donald Sutherland).
(EW released an excerpt from the book, set 64 years before the days of Katniss Everdeen’s moment in the spotlight, and it’s an interesting read.)
Original producer Nina Jacobson is also returning, with her Color Force partner Brad Simpson, and Michael Arndt (“Catching Fire”) will adapt the screenplay from a treatment written by Collins, who will also serve as an executive producer.
“‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ is creatively thrilling and takes this world to complex new dimensions that open up amazing cinematic possibilities,” said Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chairman Joe Drake via Variety. “We’re thrilled to reunite this filmmaking team with this very unique franchise, and we can’t wait to begin production.”
