What’s this?? I opened my email to find news of a brand new Hunger Games book AND movie? “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping” will be here before we know it!

So what do we know for sure so far?

The story: The story will be based on the 50th Hunger Games (the Second Quarter Quell), or Haymitch Abernathy’s games. We know from past books that twice the number of tributes were taken from each district. We know some “spoilers” from these games because of the other books, including who wins.

Author Suzanne Collins says “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.’” She goes on to say “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.”

The book: This will be the 5th book in the Hunger Games franchise but will be set 24 years BEFORE the original Hunger Games book. That puts it 40 years AFTER the last book/movie, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Sound confusing? Basically it’s like a Star Wars thing. This is the 5th book/movie being released but will end up actually being the 2nd in chronological order.

It is set to be released March 18, 2025. You can pre-order on Amazon for $17-19 depending on edition (Hardcover, Kindle, Audio). 

The movie: The movie is set to release November 20, 2026. The director of 3 of the other 4 movies, Francis Lawrence, will return as director. While we don’t know casting, it is doubtful that Woody Harrelson will reprise his role of Haymitch because Haymitch is supposedly 16 years old for this time period. Keep an eye on the IMDB page for new updates!

We’re finally getting some real information about the new Hunger Games Movie coming out in 2023. The movie will be based on the last book, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

If you need a recap of the book because it’s been so long since you read it, you can read our previous post on The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (the book).

The movie will be released by Lionsgate, the same as the previous movies. This is a good thing because we should see some continuity in terms of production value. It will star Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler. The U.S. release date is slated for November 17, 2023.

A short synopsis from Lionsgate:

Return to The Hunger Games, the landmark film franchise that has earned over $3 billion globally, with Lionsgate’s adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ #1 New York Times Bestseller The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Years before he would become the tyrannical President of Panem, 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) is the last hope for his fading lineage, a once-proud family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol. With the 10th annual Hunger Games fast approaching, the young Snow is alarmed when he is assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), the girl tribute from impoverished District 12. But, after Lucy Gray commands all of Panem’s attention by defiantly singing during the reaping ceremony, Snow thinks he might be able to turn the odds in their favor. Uniting their instincts for showmanship and newfound political savvy, Snow and Lucy Gray’s race against time to survive will ultimately reveal who is a songbird, and who is a snake.

Are you excited about a new Hunger Games movie? We definitely are!!

Watch the trailer below.

Edited: The book is now on sale!!

Scholastic has just announced a new Hunger Games book entitled “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.” The book is due to be released May 19, 2020. When news was first released about the book, it was being called “Untitled Panem Novel.” What do you think the name indicates?

I can’t believe after all this time that we are finally getting a new book!

The book is actually a prequel to the other Hunger Games books, meaning that it takes place 64 years before the other books. It will feature the 10th Hunger Games, many years before Katniss, Peeta, and Gale. This time period is 10 years after “The Dark Days,” or the war that destroyed Panem and resulted in the country as we know it in the Hunger Games trilogy.

Lionsgate had previously teased us that there might be other movies in the works, but that could have happened even without a new book release. We’re excited that Suzanne Collins will still be behind the series.

Take a look at the cover above. The press release states that the cover captures the “inner and outer” conflict that lies at the heart of the book. “The mockingjay has returned, but at a new angle…which is very much in line with the story that Suzanne Collins is telling.”

More information from Amazon:

Cafepress is running a huge 30% off sale today for April Fool’s Day. Just use code NOJOKE30 to take 30% off most of their products. We LOVE their personalized Hunger Games collection. Some of my personal favorites:

• Mellark Bakery Mug
• Mockingjay Hanging Tree Women’s Shirt
• Snow White Rose Tote Bag
• Down with the Capitol Shirt
• Katniss Everdeen 2016
• You Love Me: Real or Not Real Necklace
• District 12 Shirt

Check out their whole collection today and take advantage of this great deal!

The set Hunger Games fans have been waiting for will be here soon! You can pre-order now The Hunger Games: Complete 4 Film Collection on DVD or Blu-ray. Amazon will start shipping it on March 22.

What is included in this awesome set? All 4 movies PLUS over 14 hours of special features. Special features include:

• Deleted scenes from all of the movies
• Audio commentaries
• Music videos
• New and pre-released featurettes

Even  if you already have the first 3 movies, this Collector’s set will be well worth the $35-49 (depending on whether you order DVD or Blu-ray).

If you want to order just the Mockingjay Part 2 DVD, that is available for $19.99 and includes the digital copy.

Have you pre-ordered your Mockingjay Part 2 yet? Will you be getting the Complete Film Collection with the special features?

Choxi is running a big $2 liquidation sale today and one of the items is a Mockingjay bracelet! We’ve seen good deals on these before but never as low as $2!

The bracelets are “Twined Genuine Leather” and are still available in the following colors: Black, Blue, Brown, Pink, Red. The Mockingjay emblem itself is made of bronze alloy.

The sale will run through January 30 or when they sell out, whichever comes first. At this price, you can get them in every color!

Visit Choxi for more information.

Calendars.com is running a great deal today and you can score the 2016 “World of Hunger Games” calendar for only $10.49 plus free shipping.

Regularly $14.99 plus shipping, their entire site is on sale today plus they are offering free shipping on EVERYTHING. In addition, if you spend a total of $50, you get an additional 30% off with code CYBER30.

The calendar is 12×12 when closed and features shots from each of the various movies. Each of the 12 months has 2 different images (one big and one small) and there is a bonus page at the end with Katniss. It is exclusive to Calendars.com, so you won’t find it anywhere else!

Amazon is running a HUGE deal on books today. You can get 30% off any book with coupon code HOLIDAY30. It’s valid on print books only and can be used only one time per customer and account. The maximum discount is $10.

There are a LOT of different Hunger Games books that you can use it on besides the trilogy. Consider some of these:

• The Hunger Games Tribute Guide
• The World of the Hunger Games
• Tim Palen: Photographs from the Hunger Games
• The Hunger Games: Official Illustrated Movie Companion
• Hunger Games Coloring Book
• Katniss the Cattail: And Unauthorized Guide to Names and Symbols
• The Hunger Games Companion

Head to Amazon now before it expires!

The Hunger Games App has been given an upgrade for Mockingjay Part 2. The new app revision was released October 22. The app has been renamed “The Mockingjay App” and is available both through the iTunes App Store and Google Play.

What will you find in the app? There are a few main sections: Capitol Camouflage, Revolution Graffiti Marks, 3D Hovercraft, and District 13 Underground Schematic. It’s definitely a fun way to dive further into the world of The Hunger Games. And if you take a picture of yourself using the Capitol Camouflage and share it with #mockingjaypart2, you might even get featured in the app.

As for reviews, they are mixed. While a few people are saying that they love it, others are saying that it is crashing for them and they can’t get it to work. Obviously a lot of that is dependent upon the device you are running it on. We tried it and didn’t have any problems at all. The Camouflage part was the coolest!

Although there are not a huge number of options in the Camouflage part of the app, there are enough to make it fun to play with. You can add things to your eye, lips, cheeks, and eyebrows. Then there is a button to take a snapshot and you can share it however you want. Here’s one I did:

You could definitely spend quite awhile adding different options and changing colors. I love how shareable the images are.

I would say that it is worth downloading the app if nothing else just to use the Camouflage function. You can also watch the trailer, buy tickets, etc. It all depends how much time you want to spend in it.

I was shopping around on the Rosewe site today and came across this Mockingjay-inspired color block bracelet. I saw similar ones on Amazon, but the shipping was crazy high or was going to take over a month. This one is on sale for only $4.69 PLUS you get free shipping!

There isn’t a whole lot to the description, but it does say that it is 18cm, pretty standard for a bracelet like that. It’s called the “Metal Bird Decorated Color Block Bracelet” on their website.

If you want them in time for the Mockingjay Part 2 movie release, I would definitely order now because it does look like it could take 2-3 weeks to arrive depending upon where you live. At $5, you could get them for you and all of your friends as a fun keepsake from seeing the movie together.