There hasn’t been any notable movement on The Hunger Games prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes since it was first announced over a year ago, although as far as we can tell, Catching Fire and Mockingjay director Francis Lawrence is still slated to return behind the camera, with a script being written by Toy Story 3 scribe Michael Arndt.
The book penned by author Suzanne Collins hit shelves last year, so a huge number of fans already know what direction the story is heading in, and it’s no surprise that Lionsgate would be keen to continue monetizing the property when four of the studio’s five highest-grossing films ever starred Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen.
It may be a while yet before we get any concrete updates, but a new rumor is now touting Timothee Chalamet as a contender to headline the dystopian prequel that traces the origins and rise to power of Coriolanus Snow, played by Donald Sutherland in the original quartet. However, the outlet in question – Giant Freakin Robot – doesn’t offer any additional intel to support the claim, and having already linked Lawrence with a return as Katniss in a fifth Hunger Games outing without providing any information on that occasion, either, it’s best to take this one with a pinch of salt for now.
Chalamet is also one of the most in-demand young talents in the business, and the 25 year-old has Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch, sci-fi blockbuster Dune and Netflix’s star-studded disaster comedy Don’t Look Up arriving this year, while he’s currently shooting Luca Guadagnino’s cannibalistic literary adaptation Bones & All. On top of that, he pipped Tom Holland to the title role in Warner Bros. prequel Wonka and remains attached to James Mangold’s Bob Dylan biopic, so scheduling would likely be an issue should The Hunger Games prequel come across his desk.