Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games series is returning with a new prequel book. The as-yet untitled novel releases May 19, 2020 and will be adapted into a film by Lionsgate, which brought the original Hunger Games trilogy to the big screen across four movies.

The prequel is set 64 years prior to the events of the original books, according to Deadline. It will take place on the morning of the 10th Hunger Games' reaping and explore the reconstruction period after the war that split the nation of Panem.

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"As the proud home of the Hunger Games movies, we can hardly wait for Suzanne's next book to be published," Joe Drake, Chairman of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, said in a statement. "We've been communicating with her during the writing process and we look forward to continuing to work closely with her on the movie."

Collins shared her motives behind coming back to the Hunger Games universe with a story set before the main plot of her hugely popular young adult series. "With this book, I wanted to explore the state of nature, who we are, and what we perceive is required for our survival," the writer explained.  "The reconstruction period ten years after the war, commonly referred to as the Dark Days -- as the country of Panem struggles back to its feet -- provides fertile ground for characters to grapple with these questions and thereby define their views of humanity."

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The English edition of the novel will be published by Scholastic, who acquired world English rights to the book and will publish it in print, digital and audio formats. The Hunger Games prequel by Suzanne Collins will hit the shelves May 19, 2020. The release date of the movie adaptation is yet to be announced.