‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’: Everything to Know About the ‘Hunger Games’ Prequel Starring Young President Snow

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‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’: Everything to Know About the ‘Hunger Games’ Prequel Starring Young President Snow

May the odds be ever in his favor. President Snow is the notorious villain that Hunger Games fans love to hate — and he’s about to get his own backstory movie.

“Lionsgate has always been the cinematic home of The Hunger Games, and I’m delighted to be returning to them with this new book,” author Suzanne Collins told Entertainment Weekly in an April 2020 statement. “From the beginning, they have treated the source material with great respect, honoring the thematic and narrative elements of the story, and assembling an incredible team both in front of and behind the camera.”

Collins, who created the hit Hunger Games franchise, penned a prequel novel all about the origins of President Snow (played by Donald Sutherland in the OG movies). The book, titled The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, was published in May 2020 and follows an 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow as he prepares to be a first-time mentor in Panem’s 10th annual Hunger Games. Searching for his one chance at glory and money, Snow is paired with District 12 underdog Lucy Gray Baird.

“It’s such a pleasure to be reuniting with [producer] Nina [Jacobson], [director] Francis [Lawrence] and [screenwriter] Michael [Arndt] to adapt the novel to the screen, and having them share their remarkable talents, once again, with the world of Panem,” Collins added in her 2020 statement. “I look forward to collaborating with them and all at Lionsgate as we bring The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes to theaters worldwide.”

While few details about the forthcoming adaption have been revealed, it is set to take place more than 60 years before the events of The Hunger Games. In the first flick, Sutherland's Snow is the nation’s president and is presiding over the Games. The four-film franchise premiered in 2012 and starred Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss Everdeen), Liam Hemsworth (Gale Hawthorne), Josh Hutcherson (Peeta Mellark), Woody Harrelson (Haymitch Abernathy), Elizabeth Banks (Effie Trinket) and Stanley Tucci (Caesar Flickerman).

“It’s funny ‘cause we actually spit-balled about [where the characters would end up] on set one day,” Hutcherson exclusively told Us Weekly in September 2020 when asked whether he would ever play the District 12 baker again. “We were sort of talking about, like … the Hunger Games and Peeta and Katniss [when they] are older and they have a kid and then the movie ends, but then what if we pick up the story and it’s, like, 10 years later and there’s a new rebellion that has to happen or something like that ended up.”

He added: “I’d like to hope and think that they are living happily and that the world is equal and lovely. But history is doomed to repeat itself. So, I feel like there might be some more unrest that would come along.”

While the Bridge to Terabithia actor would happily reprise his role once more, he told Us at the time that he had not received a call regarding a potential Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes cameo.

Scroll below for everything we know so far about the latest Hunger Games movie:

[podcast_block]

Credit: YouTube

‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’: Everything to Know About the ‘Hunger Games’ Prequel Starring Young President Snow

May the odds be ever in his favor. President Snow is the notorious villain that Hunger Games fans love to hate — and he’s about to get his own backstory movie.

“Lionsgate has always been the cinematic home of The Hunger Games, and I’m delighted to be returning to them with this new book,” author Suzanne Collins told Entertainment Weekly in an April 2020 statement. “From the beginning, they have treated the source material with great respect, honoring the thematic and narrative elements of the story, and assembling an incredible team both in front of and behind the camera.”

Collins, who created the hit Hunger Games franchise, penned a prequel novel all about the origins of President Snow (played by Donald Sutherland in the OG movies). The book, titled The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, was published in May 2020 and follows an 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow as he prepares to be a first-time mentor in Panem’s 10th annual Hunger Games. Searching for his one chance at glory and money, Snow is paired with District 12 underdog Lucy Gray Baird.

“It’s such a pleasure to be reuniting with [producer] Nina [Jacobson], [director] Francis [Lawrence] and [screenwriter] Michael [Arndt] to adapt the novel to the screen, and having them share their remarkable talents, once again, with the world of Panem,” Collins added in her 2020 statement. “I look forward to collaborating with them and all at Lionsgate as we bring The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes to theaters worldwide.”

While few details about the forthcoming adaption have been revealed, it is set to take place more than 60 years before the events of The Hunger Games. In the first flick, Sutherland's Snow is the nation’s president and is presiding over the Games. The four-film franchise premiered in 2012 and starred Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss Everdeen), Liam Hemsworth (Gale Hawthorne), Josh Hutcherson (Peeta Mellark), Woody Harrelson (Haymitch Abernathy), Elizabeth Banks (Effie Trinket) and Stanley Tucci (Caesar Flickerman).

“It’s funny ‘cause we actually spit-balled about [where the characters would end up] on set one day,” Hutcherson exclusively told Us Weekly in September 2020 when asked whether he would ever play the District 12 baker again. “We were sort of talking about, like … the Hunger Games and Peeta and Katniss [when they] are older and they have a kid and then the movie ends, but then what if we pick up the story and it’s, like, 10 years later and there’s a new rebellion that has to happen or something like that ended up.”

He added: “I’d like to hope and think that they are living happily and that the world is equal and lovely. But history is doomed to repeat itself. So, I feel like there might be some more unrest that would come along.”

While the Bridge to Terabithia actor would happily reprise his role once more, he told Us at the time that he had not received a call regarding a potential Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes cameo.

Scroll below for everything we know so far about the latest Hunger Games movie:

[podcast_block]

Credit: Lionsgate

Is There a Poster for 'The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes'?

A poster depicting the iconic mockingjay facing off with a serpent was released on March 25, 2023, two days after the 11th anniversary of the first Hunger Games film's release. 

Credit: Lionsgate/Kobal/Shutterstock

What’s It About?

Adapted from Collins’ prequel novel of the same name, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is set to follow the book’s plot. Snow is tasked with mentoring a Games contestant much like Haymitch does for Katniss and Peeta years later.

Credit: Lionsgate/Color Force/Kobal/Shutterstock

Who’s the Main Character?

The book — and its film adaptation — focus on a younger version of Snow long before he becomes the president of the dystopian-era country. Casting has yet to be announced.

Credit: David Buchan/Shutterstock

Who Is Playing Young Coriolanus Snow?

Lionsgate announced that Tom Blyth was cast in the leading role in May 2022. The actor, born in 1995, is primarily known for his role on Epix's Western series Billy the Kid.

Credit: Lionsgate/Color Force/Kobal/Shutterstock

When Was the Movie Greenlit?

Lionsgate confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter in April 2020 that a movie adaptation was already in the works, one month before the novel was even published.

Credit: Stewart Cook/Shutterstock

Who Is Directing?

Francis Lawrence, who helmed both parts of Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Hunger Games: Mockingjay, will be back as the director for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

Credit: Lionsgate/Kobal/Shutterstock

Is There a Release Date?

The studio revealed at CinemaCon in May 2022 that the upcoming film will hit theaters on November 23, 2023.

Credit: Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock for BAFTA

Who Is Playing Lucy Gray Baird?

In May 2022, it was confirmed that Rachel Zegler will star in the prequel series.

Credit: YouTube

Is There a Trailer?

A teaser for the film was revealed at the 2022 MTV Movie and TV Awards, warning viewers they will discover “who is a songbird and who is a snake” when the film premieres in November 2023.

Fans got their first full-length preview for the action-packed film in April 2023. The nearly three-minute-long trailer featured glimpses of Blyth, Zegler and the rest of the cast, as well asthe events that shaped Coriolanus Snow into the villainous Panem president fans know and love to hate.

The trailer ends with a voiceover of Sutherland from the original trilogy, as Snow ominously states: “It’s the things we love the most that destroy us.”

Credit: Lionsgate/Color Force/Kobal/Shutterstock

Who Are the New Tributes and Mentors?

Deadline revealed the first round of tribute and mentor characters for the prequel on June 14, 2022.

Knox Gibson will play Bobbin, a tribute from District 8, while Jerome Lance will portray Marcus, the tribute from District 2. Mackenzie Lansing will play Coral, a tribute from District 4. For the newest mentors, Agmer Husain will portray Felix Ravinstill, a mentor from District 11. Ashley Liao, for her part, will also be a mentor from District 11, in the role of Clemensia Dovecote, one of Blyth’s closest friends.

Credit: CAROLINE BREHMAN/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

A Friend Turned Enemy?

In June 2022, West Side Story star — and Zegler's real-life boyfriend — Josh Andrés Rivera was added to the citizens of Panem. "Loyalties will be tested," the official Hunger Games Instagram teased about Rivera's role as Sejanus Plinth, a former tribute from District 2 who was once a close friend of Snow.

Credit: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

Who’s Playing Tigris Snow?

Lionsgate announced in a June 2022 statement that Euphoria’s Hunter Schafer would join the anticipated sequel, playing Coriolanus Snow’s cousin and confidant. In the book series, Tigris has an integral role in advising the future Panem president on his moral quandaries.

Tigris, a renowned Capitol stylist, was previously played by Eugenie Bondurant in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay: Part 2.

Credit: Broadimage/Shutterstock

Who’s Playing Lucky Flickerman?

Lucretius “Lucky” Flickerman, who emcees the 10th Games in the prequel, will be brought to life by Jason Schwartzman, according to a July 2022 Deadline report.

Schwartzman’s character is also an ancestor of Caesar Flickerman, who was portrayed by Stanley Tucci in the original films.

Credit: Kristina Bumphrey/Shutterstock

Who Will Peter Dinklage Play in the 'Hunger Games' Prequel?

Lionsgate confirmed the Game of Thrones alum was cast as Casca Highbottom, dean of the Academy, in July 2022.

“Dean Highbottom is one of the most powerful people in Snow’s life,” Lawrence said in a statement via The Hollywood Reporter. "As the austere and vindictive face of the games, he sets the rules that will determine every aspect of Coriolanus’s fate. I’m thrilled that Peter will be bringing him to life."

Credit: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

Who Is the Enemy?

In August 2022, Viola Davis was cast in the role of Dr. Volumnia Gaul, the head gamemaker of the 10th annual Hunger Games.

Credit: SplashNews.com

Is Filming Still Underway?

In October 2022, Liao and Blyth — who is portraying young Snow — were spotted filming a scene for the sci-fi adventure in Berlin Mitte, Germany.

Credit: Courtesy of Rachel Zegler/Twitter

Has Filming Concluded?

“I have loved every second and that’s a wrap,” Zegler tweeted in November 2022, confirming she finished shooting The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.