'Hunger Games' prequel 'Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes' unveiled at CinemaCon

The teaser of 'Hunger Games' prequel 'The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes' was unveiled by Lionsgate at the CinemaCon on Thursday night.

Set to release on November 17, 2023, the film premiered at the annual trade show for theatre owners.

As per reports from The Verge, the teaser did not show any footage from the movie which is currently in production, nor did it reveal the cast of the film. However, the clip panned over striking shots of icy tree branches and eye-catching gold as the text read, "The world will discover... who is a songbird... and who is a snake."

The best-selling dystopian trilogy of 'The Hunger Games,' 'Catching Fire' and 'Mockingjay' by Suzanne Collins was first published in 2008 and later developed into four films. Generating global box office revenue of USD 3 billion, the 'Hunger Games' films propelled Jennifer Lawrence to superstardom.

The prequel novel about the early days of the 'Hunger Games' was written by Collins in May 2020. Before publishing the book, Lionsgate had already announced plans to turn the story into a feature film.

The 'Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes' is set 64 years before the trilogy events, starting on the morning of the reaping of the Tenth Hunger Games. An 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow is assigned to mentor a tribute girl from the poor District 12.

Directed by Francis Lawrence and written by Michael Arndt, the prequel is to be produced by Nina Jacobson, who had produced the original 'Hunger Games' trilogy.