Raise your hands in salute as we welcome the newest addition to The Hunger Games series - The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Suzanne Collins, the author of the best-selling The Hunger Games trilogy, wrote this novel as a prequel to the events set in a post-apocalyptic Panem.
Here is everything we know about The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes movie!
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Release Date: When Is The Hunger Games Prequel Coming Out?
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes was released in theaters on November 17, 2023.
After the movie completes its theatrical period, we can expect to see it on a streaming platform after a few months.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Cast: Who Stars in The Hunger Games Prequel?
Tom Blyth stars as Coriolanus "Coryo" Snow, a mentor for the 10th Hunger Games and the future President of Panem. Rachel Zegler stars as Lucy Gray Baird, the tribute from District 12 who forms a connection with Snow.
We got our first look of Zegler and Blyth as Lucy Gray and Coriolanus on August 16, 2022.
Peter Dinklage, who is best known for his role as Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones, joins The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes cast as Casca Highbottom, the creator of The Hunger Games and Dean of the Academy.
Academy Award-winning actress Viola Davis plays Dr. Volumnia Gaul, the head game maker of the 10th Hunger Games.
Hunter Schafer, who is known for her role in Euphoria, joins the cast of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes as Tigris Snow, Coriolanus’ cousin who would later become a stylist and ally to Katniss Everdeen.
Josh Andrés Rivera plays Sejanus Plinth, Coriolanus' friend and a mentor to a District 2 tribute. Jason Schwartzman plays Lucretius "Lucky" Flickerman, the host of the 10th Hunger Games.
Fionnula Flanagan plays Grandma'am, Coriolanus, and Tigris' grandmother. Burn Gorman plays Commander Hoff, the leader of the peacekeepers in District 12.
Jerome Lance plays Marcus from District 2, Mackenzie Lansing plays Coral from District 4, and Knox Gibbon plays Bobbin from District 8.
Ashley Liao plays the mentor for the tribute from District 11, Clemensia Dovecot, who is also Coriolanus' friend.
The other mentor for the second tribute from District 11, Felix Ravinstill, is played by Aamer Husain. Lily Cooper plays Arachne Crane, the mentor for the tribute from District 10.
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The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Creatives
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is helmed by Francis Lawrence, who previously directed the last three Hunger Games films since Catching Fire.
Another creative who also worked in a different Hunger Games movie is Michael Arndt. Arndt previously wrote for Catching Fire. He wrote the screenplay for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes along with Michael Lesslie.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Plot: What Is The Hunger Games Prequel About?
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes takes us to the 10th Hunger Games, 64 years before the events in the first movie.
It focuses on a young Coriolanus Snow (yes, that President Snow) who was tasked to mentor a tribute, and he was assigned to a girl from District 12, Lucy Gray Baird. Lucy Gray earned the interest of the Capitol after singing a song during the reaping.
The official synopsis for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes reads:
"Years before he would become the tyrannical President of Panem, 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow is the last hope for his fading lineage, a once-proud family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol. With the 10th annual Hunger Games fast approaching, the young Snow is alarmed when he is assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird, the female tribute from impoverished District 12.
But, after Lucy Gray commands all of Panem’s attention by defiantly singing during the reaping ceremony, Snow thinks he might be able to turn the odds in their favor. Uniting their instincts for showmanship and newfound political savvy, Snow and Lucy Gray’s race against time to survive will ultimately reveal who is a songbird, and who is a snake."
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Trailer
You can watch the official trailers for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes below:
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