Fans of The Hunger Games, the return to Panem is upon us — but it will be much different than what we remember.
Eight years after the heroics of Katniss Everdeen in Mockingjay — Part Two, another dystopian adventure is set to hit theaters, but this time, it's based on Suzanne Collins's prequel novel set 60 years before the world we know and love with Katniss.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes follows the early life of President Coriolanus Snow (originally played by Donald Sutherland) as he mentors a new hero femme for the 10th annual Hunger Games.
And, you're out of luck if you expect similarities between the new and old films. Francis Lawrence (who directed Catching Fire and both Mockingjay films) may be returning, but he wants to clarify that this new story will be completely different.
In an exclusive interview with Empire, Francis asks, "Will people go see a new Hunger Games movie without Katniss?" It's a question that we're all thinking.
The new film stars Tom Blyth as young Snow and Rachel Zegler as his mentee, Lucy Gray Baird from District 12, whom the film's director describes as an "anti-Katniss."
"Katniss was an introvert and a survivor," according to Francis. "She was quite quiet and stoic, you could almost say [she was] asexual."
"Lucy Gray is the opposite. She wears her sexuality on her sleeve, [and] she really is a performer."
If you remember, Katniss reluctantly accepted her role as the face of the rebellion. While homegirl destroyed the entire Hunger Games to save her fake boo thing Peeta Mellark (played by Josh Hutcherson), she was pretty low-key regarding any real romance.
Lucy Gray, instead, will bask in the spotlight and use her rizz as a weapon and a means of survival in the Hunger Games. "She knows how to play crowds and manipulate people," Francis said.
I don't know about you, but this Lucy Gray revelation excites me even more for the new movie.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes will be in cinemas on November 17th.
