The Hunger Games prequel novel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes has received a backlash from fans.
Many are unhappy after learning that the plot of Suzanne Collins’ book revolves President Snow – played by Donald Sutherland in the movie trilogy – during his younger days.
The novel is set 64 years before the original Hunger Games novels and according to an excerpt pubished by Entertainment Weekly, Coriolanus Snow is “a teenager born to privilege but searching for something more, a far cry from the man we know he will become. Here, he’s friendly. He’s charming. And, for now anyway, he’s a hero.”
The move has infuriated fans with one writing: “Literally who asked for this? Out of all the stories to tell Snow’s is one no one is interested in.”
Another added: “I couldn’t be more disappointed by the next HUNGER GAMES being about fucking President Snow and trying to paint him as a ‘misunderstood hero’ are you kidding me? The very last thing I’m interested in is humanizing a fascist dictator because he has a tragic past.”
Literally who asked for this? Out of all the stories to tell Snow’s is one no one is interested in
— evil4life (@evil4life101) January 21, 2020
i couldn’t be more disappointed by the next HUNGER GAMES being about fucking President Snow and trying to paint him as a “misunderstood hero” are you kidding me.
the very last thing i’m interested in is humanizing a fascist dictator because he has a ~tragic past~. ????
— ?? Aiden Thomas (50k) (@aidenschmaiden) January 21, 2020
The Hunger Games prequel book is gonna be abt President Snow? Are you fucking kidding me??? pic.twitter.com/X4QKDXv5Q0
— Mikey (@Mikey4wf) January 21, 2020
the protagonist of the new Hunger Games prequel is going to be…… a young President Snow?
absolutely the fuck not pic.twitter.com/abf7xusiuM
— Riley J. Dennis (@RileyJayDennis) January 21, 2020
Others posted memes in their anger with one writing: “I’m so mad that the new Hunger Games books are gonna focus on fucking President Snow. Literally who gives a shit about this boomer. I can think of so many better characters to do an origin story on.”
i’m so mad that the new hunger games books are gonna focus on fucking president snow,, literally who gives a shit about this boomer,, i can think of so many better characters to do an origin story on smh pic.twitter.com/vfPDSr5YW6
— bea loves lorde (@lesbianlouvre) January 21, 2020
you mean …. to tell me …. I’ve waited years and preordered the hunger games sequel …. thinking it was abt mags … for it to be a president snow origin story … about a rich white boy becoming an authortarian who loves *checks notes* genocide? pic.twitter.com/JgAf9jJxkz
— Soraya Bouazzaoui (@warnersadam) January 21, 2020
what you mean the new hunger games book is about young president snowpic.twitter.com/PxRO0spfkw
— ᵅⁿᵅ (@rgtiedemann) January 21, 2020
I WANNA STAN THE PROTAGONIST OF THE NEW HUNGER GAMES WHY DID SHE HAVE TO MAKE HIM THAT CRUSTY ASS MAN SAY SIKE RN pic.twitter.com/fBJ4ygSJg7
— andy ⎊ (@infinitypilots) January 21, 2020
Collins’ trilogy was made into four films released between 2012 and 2015. Jennifer Lawrence starred as the books’ main character, Katniss Everdeen, imprisoned in a dystopian world where teenagers must fight to the death as a form of entertainment.
No plans for a movie have been announced yet, but when the new prequel was revealed last summer, Joe Drake, Lionsgate chairman said: “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 book is set to be released in May.
