Suzanne Collins announces new 'Hunger Games' prequel set for 2025 release

Suzanne Collins has announced a new ‘Hunger Games’ novel, titled ‘Sunrise on the Reaping,’ set to be released next year. 

According to the Associated Press, this will be the fifth novel in her bestselling series and serves as a prequel to the original trilogy, taking place 40 years after ‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,’ which had its film adaptation released last year. ‘Sunrise on the Reaping’ is scheduled for release on March 18, 2025.

“With 'Sunrise on the Reaping,' I was inspired by David Hume’s idea of implicit submission and, in his words, ‘the easiness with which the many are governed by the few,’” Collins told the AP. “The story also lent itself to a deeper dive into the use of propaganda and the power of those who control the narrative. The question ‘Real or not real?’ seems more pressing to me every day.”

While the film rights for the novel have not yet been announced, it is likely that "Sunrise on the Reaping" will follow the path of its predecessors and be adapted for the big screen. 

The film adaptation of "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes," which premiered in November and starred Rachel Zegler and Tom Blyth, earned $337.4 million globally. The original trilogy, adapted into four films starring Jennifer Lawrence, achieved great success and significantly boosted her fame. Overall, the "Hunger Games" film series is the 20th highest-grossing franchise of all time, earning $3.3 billion for Lionsgate.