Here is a statement from Joe Drake, the chairman of Lionsgate motion picture group, about the project: It’s [the film] “moving along really, really well” in pre-production.
Filmmaker Francis Lawrence will direct the prequel. He previously directed the sequel to Hunger Games which is Catching Fire as well as Mockingjay Part 1 and 2. Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson will return to the franchise as producers. Oscar-winning screenwriter Michael Arndt will write the prequel's screenplay. The author herself Susanne Collins will be the EP.
Here is the goodreads synopsis of the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes:
It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capital, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute.
The odds are against him. He's been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined -- every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute... and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.
Source material: Deadline.com