The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes: The Hunger Games prequel will come to Peacock but not until 2024

It’s been a while since the popular story of The Hunger Games came to an end with The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2, which debuted in 2015. Now eight years later, we’re going back in time to a Hunger Games prequel – The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes – now playing in theaters! But what about streaming?

The Hunger Games prequel will be added to Peacock eventually after its run in theaters, however that’s not going to happen until sometime in 2024. While the film’s production company is Lionsgate, which owns streamer Starz, the streaming home of the movie is already confirmed to be on Peacock. That’s because Lionsgate and Peacock came to a deal back in May 2022. Per Collider, the multi-year agreement between the two companies allows for all Lionsgate movies to stream on Peacock starting in 2024. And The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is on that list!

Right now we unfortunately don’t have an exact streaming release date, and it’s hard to tell when exactly the movie will be added to Peacock’s catalog. It could depend on how well the film does on the big screen, and how much money it brings into the box office. If I’m being hopeful, which I always am, I could see a potential early 2024 streaming release date. We’ll have to wait and see! When the time does come, you can expect Peacock to release the new movie at 2 a.m. PT / 5 a.m. ET.

At least we do know where the dystopian production is set to stream. That way we can keep our eyes on Peacock for any updates. Honestly, this is great news and makes sense. Why do you ask? That’s because all four of the previous movies in the franchise are currently streaming on Peacock.

It’s always the worst when multiple films in a franchise are available to watch on different streamers. I personally like it when any productions that are part of a certain universe are available in one place for me to watch. As a viewer and user, that’s always the best and most convenient. Especially when we’re paying for so many platforms. Speaking of, read on below for steps to sign up for Peacock!

How to watch The Hunger Games movies on Peacock

While we wait for The Hunger Games prequel to arrive onto the online world, you’ll want to either watch the rest of the films in the franchise for the first time, or rewatch them for a refresher! Here’s how you’ll check them all out in order first based on release, then chronologically by story:

How to watch based on release date

• The Hunger Games (2012)
• The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)
• The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014)
• The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (2015)
• The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2023)

How to watch based on the story’s chronological order

• The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
• The Hunger Games
• The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
• The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1
• The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2

Most of you might already know that the movies were brought to life from page to screen thanks to the genius of author Suzanne Collins. The films are based on her books, and the universe all comes from her brilliant mind! As a reminder, the novel Mockingjay was split into two movies. Here’s a list of all the books she’s written in order of release:

• The Hunger Games (2008)
• Catching Fire (2009)
• Mockingjay (2010)
• The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2020)

How to sign up for Peacock

If you don’t have a Peacock account, don’t you worry! I’ll walk you thorough it. The platform offers two subscription options – Premium (with ads) or Premium Plus (no ads). The tier with advertisements costs $5.99/month, while the no ads plan runs for $11.99/month. We shared the steps of how to sign up below:

• Visit the Peacock sign up page
• Select the Premium or Premium Plus subscription options
• Create an account by entering a username and password
• Enter your chosen payment method
• Login to start watching!

All you need to know about The Hunger Games prequel: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is actually a very interesting story as we’re going back in time – 64 years to be exact – before Katniss Everdeen shouted “I volunteer as tribute” and set in motion a series of events that would change Panem forever!

The Hunger Games prequel is centered around a young 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow, aka the tyrannical President Snow that we know from the present-day Hunger Games movies. But this is a time before he came to power. He’s the “last hope for his failing lineage,” that’s “fallen from grace” after a war in the Capitol, per the synopsis. And so he has to “reluctantly” mentor one of the tributes from District 12, Lucy Gray Baird. Yup, the same district Katniss is from. Here’s the rest of the synopsis shared by Lionsgate below:

"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 prequel examines Panem’s past and unearths all the rich history referenced in the previous films through the eyes of a young Coriolanus Snow, whose story becomes the throughline across all previous Hunger Games films."

Not only will we see a future President Snow battle with his morals, but he and Lucy actually start to fall in love amongst the backdrop of the “approaching” 10th annual Hunger Games. But unfortunately, we know where this romance is headed. Something happens that makes Snow turn his back on any goodness and unfortunately it seems like love wasn’t enough for him. This story is one I’m very excited to see play out!

Cast: Who plays a young President Snow?

Tom Blyth is the actor who takes on the very important role of Coriolanus Snow. And playing musician and charmer Lucy Gray Baird is Rachel Zegler. We’ve also got a fan-favorite Game of Thrones actor in the mix! We shared the full cast list below:

• Tom Blyth as Coriolanus Snow
• Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird
• Peter Dinklage as Casca Highbottom, the Academy’s “morally conflicted”
• Hunter Schafer as Tigris Snow, Coriolanus’ cousin (role originated by Eugenie Bondurant in Mockingjay – Part 2)
• Josh Andrés Rivera as Sejanus Plinth, Coriolanus’ Academy student and a Tribute mentor
• Jason Schwartzman as Lucretius “Lucky” Flickerman, the first host of The Hunger Games broadcast and descendant of Caesar Flickerman (played by Stanley Tucci)
• Viola Davis as Dr. Volumnia Gaul, head gamemaker of the 10th annual Hunger Games

The Hunger Games prequel was directed by Francis Lawrence, who also took on those duties in Catching Fire, as well as the final two films. The movie is rated PG-13 for strong violent content and disturbing material.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is now in theaters. Stay tuned to Hidden Remote as we bring you news and updates about the movie’s streaming release on Peacock in 2024!