It turns out 'The Hunger Games' movie series is getting another film

The next Hunger Games book is coming out next month, and now a movie version is being planned.

Lionsgate is working on an adaptation of Suzanne Collins' The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes - a prequel to her three Hunger Games novels - which is set to be released May 19.

With movie productions halted by the Covid-19 pandemic, no release date has been set and casting has not begun.

The film will take place in Collins' fictional Panem, and centre on 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow, the future president, played in the earlier movies by Donald Sutherland.

"Lionsgate has always been the cinematic home of The Hunger Games, and I'm delighted to be returning to them with this new book," Collins said in a statement.

"From the beginning, they have treated the source material with great respect, honouring the thematic and narrative elements of the story, and assembling an incredible team both in front of and behind the camera.

It's such a pleasure to be reuniting with Nina, Francis, and Michael to adapt the novel to the screen, and having them share their remarkable talents, once again, with the world of Panem."

Drake said in a statement that Collins' new novel is "creatively thrilling and takes this world to complex new dimensions that open up amazing cinematic possibilities."

"We're thrilled to reunite this filmmaking team with this very unique franchise, and we can't wait to begin production," Drake said.