While The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes will be returning to the world of Panem, the film is expected to have significant differences from the original The Hunger Games movie quartet. Based on the book of the same name by The Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes will be directed by Francis Lawrence, who also took on the last three Hunger Games movies. However, unlike its predecessor, The Ballad of Songbirds And Snakes is set 64 years before the first film's events, following a young Coriolanus Snow's (Tom Blyth) rise to power.
The original novel shows Snow as a young Hunger Games mentor during the 10th annual Hunger Games, where he is chosen to oversee a young female tribute named Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler). Similar to Katniss Everdeen, Lucy is from the impoverished District 12 and also showed an act of defiance during the reaping ceremony, where she took Panem by surprise by singing a song. Through this, Snow realizes that despite Lucy's background, he could utilize this for both of their benefits. Overall, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is expected to show how Snow becomes the callous leader from The Hunger Games and the lengths he was willing to go to politically to secure himself as a powerful individual in the world of Panem.
What ultimately separates The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes from The Hunger Games is that it focuses solely on the Games, encompassing all of the politics and scandals that eventually turned the Games into what they became in The Hunger Games. However, this slight difference may be an exciting shift for lovers of the franchise. While the original Hunger Games books and films took time to separate themselves from the Games and focused on the systematic faults in the world of Panem, the first and second installments were also heavily praised for their action sequences within the Games. Therefore, those who loved those aspects of the books and films will find joy in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which will show how iconic parts of the later games, such as the development of contestant sponsorships and "mutations," were introduced into the arena. In addition, the new Hunger Games film will also shed more light on the power conflicts between the Hunger Games tributes and the Capitol, showing them treated far less favorably by the Capitol compared to those in the first installment of The Hunger Games.
Despite this promise of rich worldbuilding, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes may struggle to endear itself to audiences due to its protagonist being President Snow. The Hunger Games books and movies solidified themselves in pop culture primarily through the strength found in its heroine, Katniss Everdeen. Additionally, the brutality of the world Katniss existed in made it easier to root for many of the decisions she made. Therefore, a film focusing on the despicable President Snow is sure to be relatively divisive since most individuals familiar with the franchise know what he later becomes. However, while Snow cannot be loved like Katniss, the film should provide an exciting perspective into his psyche, allowing viewers to understand how President Coriolanus Snow, who wasn't born evil, slowly becomes the manipulative tyrant shown 64 years later.
Regardless, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is sure to fill a gap left since the last installment of The Hunger Games in 2015. For those who haven't read the novel, the film should serve as a thrilling and deeper insight into the world of Panem, reminding viewers about what was so captivating about the first film. While there is currently no official trailer for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes to date, the long-awaited prequel is expected to arrive in cinemas in 2023.