Genre: Action/Adventure
Language: Hindi+English
Release Date: 2023
Development
In August 2017, Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer expressed interest in continuing The Hunger Games film series, contingent on the approval of author Suzanne Collins. By June 2019, Joe Drake, chairman of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, announced collaboration with Collins for an adaptation of her 2020 novel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. In April 2020, development was confirmed with Francis Lawrence, director of the previous three films, returning to helm the project. The screenplay was penned by Collins, Michael Arndt, and Michael Lesslie, with Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson producing. Despite the novel’s length, Lawrence decided against splitting the film into two parts, a decision he regretted making for Mockingjay. Suzanne Collins also served as an executive producer.
Casting
In May 2022, Tom Blyth was cast as the young President Snow, with Rachel Zegler joining as tribute Lucy Gray Baird. Zegler initially declined the role in January but later reconsidered. Josh Andrés Rivera, Hunter Schafer, and Jason Schwartzman were cast in June 2022, with Peter Dinklage joining the following month. Viola Davis was cast as Volumnia Gaul, the head gamemaker, in August 2022. The cast was rounded out with various actors portraying tributes and mentors, including Burn Gorman and Fionnula Flanagan, who were revealed in September 2022.
Filming
Filming commenced in Wrocław, Poland, on July 11, 2022, and concluded in Berlin, Germany, on November 5, 2022. The production utilized a variety of locations, including the Monument to the Battle of the Nations in Leipzig, the Strausberger Platz, the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, and the Centennial Hall in Wrocław. Additional scenes were shot in Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord in North Rhine-Westphalia and in areas around Wałbrzych, Poland, including Boguszów-Gorce and the lake in Grzędy. On October 30, 2023, during the SAG-AFTRA strike, the film was granted an interim agreement, allowing actors to promote it as Lionsgate is not part of the AMPTP.
Release
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes had its European premiere in Berlin, Germany, on November 5, 2023, followed by its world premiere at the BFI IMAX in London on November 9, 2023. The film was then released in Europe on November 16, 2023, and in the United States on November 17, 2023, by Lionsgate Films.
Home Media
The film was made available on digital and VOD platforms on December 19, 2023. Lionsgate Home Entertainment released the film on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD on February 13, 2024.
