Lionsgate is planning a 'Hunger Games' prequel movie, based on a forthcoming novel from Suzanne Collins.
Jennifer Lawrence
The 56-year-old author recently announced that she'll be penning another instalment of the dystopian franchise and is working closely with the studio on a new movie which will take place in fictional the world of Panem, 64 years before the events of the original books.
Joe Drake, chairman of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, said in a statement: "As the proud home of the 'Hunger Games' movies, we can hardly wait for Suzanne's next book to be published. We've been communicating with her during the writing process and we look forward to continuing to work closely with her on the movie."
The original best-selling trilogy - comprised of 'The Hunger Games', 'Catching Fire' and 'Mockingjay'- follows Katniss Everdeen as she's thrust into a compulsory televised battle to the death called The Hunger Games and was adapted into a film series starring Jennifer Lawrence in the main role in 2008.
The prequel will explore "the state of nature" during the so-called Dark Days following a failed rebellion in the totalitarian city and will focus on rebuilding Panem as it "struggles back to its feet".
Collins said: "With this book, I wanted to explore the state of nature, who we are, and what we perceive is required for our survival. The reconstruction period ten 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."
Tagged in Jennifer Lawrence Suzanne Collins