Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins announces new novel in series for 2025
The new novel will be called Sunrise on the Reaping and will be set 40 years after The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
Four years after the last Hunger Games book, prequel novel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, was released, author Suzanne Collins has announced a new addition to the series.
The new novel, Sunrise on Reaping, will be released on 18th March 2025 and will take place 40 years after The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, but 24 years before the events of the first Hunger Games novel.
Collins said in a statement: "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'.
"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."
Nothing else is yet known about the novel's plot, nor whether it will be adapted into a film – however, given the success of the screen franchise, it certainly seems likely that it will.
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Given that both the book and film series has been released non-linearly, with the first three books and four films telling a story in order before going back in time for the fourth book and fifth film, Francis Lawrence, the director of all of the films except for the first, previously addresses the order in which fans should watch them.
As The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes was being released, Lawrence told RadioTimes.com: "I will say, I think part of what's fun is if you hadn't seen any of the movies, or read any of the other books, you can watch this story and, I think, find it engaging and find it fulfilling as a standalone movie.
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"I think if you've seen the other movies... part of the fun of this one is there's so many elements that are sort of the origins of things – the origins of characters, the origins of character dynamics, the origins of songs we know from the other one, you know, a lot of little Easter eggs.
"[So] it might actually be better to watch this one after [the originals], if you've never seen them. Because I think you'll just have this other level of enjoyment of feeling the origins of things."
Films in The Hunger Games series, including The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, are available to stream now on Prime Video – try Amazon Prime Video for free for 30 days. Plus, read our guides to the best Amazon Prime series and the best movies on Amazon Prime.
Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
