Sneaky scales and Mockingjay tales: The Hunger Games prequel takes the arena.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a prequel to the iconic Hunger Games trilogy which looks back at one of the most important periods in Hunger Games’ history—the development of the deadly games themselves.

Set 64 years prior to the events of The Hunger Games, the narrative follows the story of 18 year old Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth), known best as The Hunger Games' antagonist President Snow, who assumes the role of mentor during the 10th Hunger Games tournament. After signing on as a mentor, Snow works closely with his mentee, District 12 tribute Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), to attempt to turn the odds of the game in his favour. As the games draw closer, Snow begins to fall in love with Lucy, causing a great moral dilemma between his heart and his political future. 

The prequel promises a very different version of Coriolanus Snow than we've met before. In conversation with Den of Geek, Director Francis Lawrence said of Snow's origin story, "He starts in a much more positive place than you would imagine. It’s part of what’s fun about the story, that you see him break bad. I think people really like watching characters break bad. It’s fun to watch The Joker become The Joker. It’s fun to watch Anakin become Darth Vader.” 

Lawrence also spoke of the film's protagonist Lucy Gray and how she shapes up in comparison to the trilogy's main heroine Katniss Everdeen, "Lucy Gray is a very different kind of character from Katniss. She’s able to manipulate. She’s a survivor and has different ways of trying to survive.” Whilst both women display vastly different personalities, the song 'The Hanging Tree' that Katniss sings in Mockingjay - Part 1 is unveiled as a key historical point of connection between the two protagonists. In the modern times, it’s used as a rallying cry for the districts, and unifies the people of Panem in their rebellion against the Capitol. But the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes details the specific events of just how the song came to be, with Lucy revealed as the in-universe author of the chilling ballad.

Joining Blyth and Zegler, the film is studded with stars including Games of Thrones actor Peter Dinklage as Casca Highbottom, Euphoria's Hunter Schaffer as Tigris Snow and The French Dispatch's Jason Schwartzman as Lucky Flickerman.

With The Hunger Games series making close to $3 billion at the worldwide box office, shooting Jennifer Lawrence to superstardom and triggering a full-blown pop-culture phenomenon of cinematic young adult dystopias, including The Maze Runner, Divergent and The 5th Wave, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is set to captivate both die-hard fans and a new generation of readers and viewers, with fresh characters and a deeper exploration of the nation's oppressive regime. Serving as a reminder of the enduring power of Suzanne Collins' storytelling.

See The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes in cinemas from November 16. Discover more about the film here.