Suzanne Collins, inspired by a Scottish philosopher and the problem of misinformation, is back to the world of Panem with a new “Hunger Games” book.
Scholastic announced on Thursday that the fifth book in the series, titled “Sunrise on the Reaping,” is expected to be released on March 18, 2025. The story starts with the reaping of the Fiftieth Hunger Games that takes place 24 years before the first “Hunger Games” book, which was published in 2008, and 40 years after Collins’ most recent book, “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.”
Lionsgate is the company that made movies from the previous four “Hunger Games” books. It has announced that the movie version of “Sunrise on the Reaping” will come out on November 20, 2026. Francis Lawrence, who directed the first “Hunger Games” movie will direct this one as well.
- The first four “Hunger Games” books have sold over 100 million copies and so far it has been translated into many languages.
- Collins ended the series after “Mockingjay” was published in 2010. She even wrote in 2015 that she was moving on to new projects.
- However, in 2019, she came up to surprise everyone by announcing that she was working on another book, which became “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” that came out in 2020.
Collins has used Greek mythology and Roman gladiator games for ideas in her earlier books.
- Her new book is inspired by Scottish Enlightenment philosopher David Hume.
- She said, “With ‘Sunrise on the Reaping,’ I was inspired by Hume’s idea of implicit submission and how easily the many are governed by the few.
- The story also explores the use of propaganda and the power of those who control the narrative.
- The question ‘Real or not real?’ seems more important to me every day.”
The “Hunger Games” movies have been very successful, and has made billions of dollars for Lionsgate. Jennifer Lawrence played the main character, Katniss Everdeen, in the movies. Other actors in the series included Philip Seymour Hoffman, Josh Hutcherson, Stanley Tucci, and Donald Sutherland.
Adam Fogelson, the Lionsgate chair, praised Suzanne Collins, saying, “Suzanne Collins is a master storyteller and our creative north star. We are very lucky to work with someone whose talent and imagination are so consistently brilliant.” The movie version of “Songbirds and Snakes,” starring Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler, came out last year. This fall, a stage version of “The Hunger Games” is set to open in London.