Suzanne Collins is writing a prequel to The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games craze has died down quite a bit since the film adaptations wrapped up back in 2015, but it looks like fans have a new reason to be excited about the franchise: author Suzanne Collins and Scholastic have announced that a prequel novel will be coming our way, taking place before Katniss Everdeen volunteered as tribute and began a journey that ended in bringing down the authoritarian Panem government.

Set 64 years prior to the original trilogy, the untitled novel will chronicle the time period following the “Dark Days” of Panem. The “Dark Days” consisted of a rebellion much like the one we saw in the original series, although things didn’t turn out nearly as successfully. The new story will unpack the aftermath of this failed rebellion.

“With this book, I wanted to explore the state of nature, who we are, and what we perceive is required for our survival,” Collins said. “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.”

Apart from the time period and themes, author and publisher haven’t revealed any further details about the new addition to the series. With any luck, readers will get more information about the characters and plot specifics as we near the release date, currently set for May 19, 2020.

One thing that is certain, however, is that Lionsgate is already considering the new novel for an adaptation. The company has previously expressed interest in creating more films related to the franchise, which isn’t too surprising considering the success of the first four.

This new series offers the perfect opportunity for Lionsgate to move forward with expanding the world of The Hunger Games. And even if the studio hasn’t officially entered negotiations to obtain the rights, their intent is clear. “As the proud home of the Hunger Games movies, we can hardly wait for Suzanne’s next book to be published,” Lionsgate chairman Joe Drake said in a statement. “We’ve been communicating with her during the writing process and we look forward to continuing to work closely with her on the movie.”

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Drake’s words are promising for Hunger Games fans wanting to see more of Collins’ world brought to life on the big screen. Lionsgate has also been working on Panem-themed attractions for its theme park in China, which could eventually make their way to the rest of the world if the new prequel story manages to ‘wow’ fans the way the original trilogy did.

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