The Hanging Tree Single From New The Hunger Games Movie Release Announced

The release date for Rachel Zegler's new single from The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes has been revealed. The single, titled "The Hanging Tree," is pretty significant in The Hunger Games franchise. Fans first heard Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) sing it during The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, but it has been passed down through generations in the franchise. Now, audiences will get to experience the origin of "The Hanging Tree" as Zegler's character, Lucy Gray Baird, brings it to life. The song will release on Friday, October 20th at 12:00 a.m. ET on Geffen Records.

As for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, it has a release date of less than a month later on November 17th. The prequel takes place 64 years before the events in the original Hunger Games trilogy, which is based on Susanne Collins' novel series, and features Tom Blyth as Coriolanus Snow before he became the tyrannical President of Panem. The latest trailer for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes debuted in September, giving an extended look at the drama that will unfold.

What is The Hunger Games prequel about?

Experience the story of THE HUNGER GAMES — 64 years before Katniss Everdeen volunteered as tribute, and decades before Coriolanus Snow became the tyrannical President of Panem.

THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES follows a young Coriolanus (Tom Blyth) who is the last hope for his failing lineage, the once-proud Snow family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol. With his livelihood threatened, Snow is reluctantly assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), a tribute from the impoverished District 12. But 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.

Directed by Francis Lawrence, the film stars Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Peter Dinklage, Hunter Schafer, Josh Andrés Rivera, Jason Schwartzman, and Viola Davis. Lawrence directed 2013's The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Mockingjay Part 1 and Part 2, and had this to say about returning to direct the prequel: "This is the kind of playground that doesn't come along very often," Lawrence said during an appearance at CineEurope earlier this year, "so when you have a chance to return, it's enormously gratifying."