'The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes' Movie Release Date Is Rapidly Approaching

The last Hunger Games film, Mockingjay: Part 2, premiered in theaters on Nov. 4, 2015. Now, Lionsgate and author Suzanne Collins are asking audiences to step back into the arenas of Panem for The Hunger Games prequel film The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

Although everyone's favorite archer will be missing from the action, there are plenty of new characters to explore. What is The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes's release date? Here's everything we know about the film so far.

In 2020, following the release of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes book, Deadline announced that Lionsgate immediately picked up the book for adaptation. Francis Lawrence, who directed Catching Fire and Mockingjay: Part One and Two, would return to direct the prequel. Songbirds and Snakes follows a young Coriolanus Snow, whom audiences previously watched as the villainous President of Panem, this time as an 18-year-old victor.

In the story, the Snow family has fallen on hard times, and Coriolanus is determined to do whatever it takes to change his fortunes ... including becoming a mentor to a young woman from District 12, Lucy Gray Baird. The story takes place during the 10th Hunger Games, 50 years before Katniss would take to the arena.

After two years of radio silence on the production, Lionsgate made a presentation at CinemaCon to finally revealed a release date for the film. Deadline reports The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes will be released in theaters on Nov. 17, 2023, and the film is currently in production with a mystery cast.

Although some fans are disappointed The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes does not focus on one of the more beloved characters from the franchise like Mags or Finnick Odair, they are curious how a film adaptation might change the perception of Panem's most notorious villain.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes hits theaters on Nov. 17, 2023.