Witness the Beginning in Trailer for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Katniss Everdeen may have freed Panem, but like many established franchises like Star Wars and Harry Potter, expanding the lore sometimes means you have to go back to the beginning.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is set to release later this year, and we have a new trailer which showcases the 10^th year of annual child murder in the canon. Check this out:

Here’s the official synopsis for the film:

THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES follows a young Coriolanus (Tom Blyth) who is the last hope for his failing lineage, the once-proud Snow family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol. With his livelihood threatened, Snow is reluctantly assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), a tribute from the impoverished District 12. But after Lucy Gray’s charm captivates the audience of Panem, Snow sees an opportunity to shift their fates. With everything he has worked for hanging in the balance, Snow unites with Lucy Gray to turn the odds in their favor. Battling his instincts for both good and evil, Snow sets out on a race against time to survive and reveal if he will ultimately become a songbird or a snake.

The story takes place 64 years before Katniss volunteered to join the Hunger Games, and we get to see a very early version of the games with a different president and game master. They’ve even brought in an ancestor of Caesar Flickerman to host the older Hunger Games.

Though Snow is considered to be the big bad of the Hunger Games trilogy, it’s always interesting to look back and see just how the character got there. Plus, I’m always onboard for Rachel Zegler playing a character who has an ill-conceived relationship with a white boy.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is set to hit theaters on Nov. 17.