The fourth and final (for now) Hunger Games film, Mockingjay – Part 2, only came out four years ago. But because the series made nearly $3 billion at the box office, placing it in the top-20 of highest-grossing cinematic franchises ever, a prequel movie is already under consideration. Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins announced on Monday that she’s working on a new book set during the “Dark Days,” 64 years before Katniss volunteered as tribute.
“I wanted to explore the state of nature, who we are and what we perceive is required for our survival,” she said in a statement. “The reconstruction period 10 years after the war, commonly referred to as the Dark Days — as the country of Panem struggles back to its feet — provides fertile ground for characters to grapple with these questions and thereby define their views of humanity.”
The still-untitled book doesn’t come out until 2020, but Collins is already in discussions with Lionsgate on a potential movie. “As the proud home of the Hunger Games movies, we can hardly wait for Suzanne’s next book to be published. We’ve been communicating with her during the writing process and we look forward to continuing to work closely with her on the movie,” Joe Drake, chairman of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, said Monday, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Obviously, Jennifer Lawrence won’t be in the movie, but after the flat finales to both Hunger Games and X-Men, she could use time away from franchise filmmaking. So it’s no wonder the Oscar winner is ending her hiatus with a sure-to-be-challenging (and glowingly reviewed) A24 movie.
The entire film should cost less than Dark Phoenix‘s blue makeup budget.
(Via Hollywood Reporter)
