First Look At Rachel Zegler & Tom Blyth In ‘The Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds And Snakes’ Released By Lionsgate
Lionsgate has released a first-look image for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, a prequel to the wildly successful Hunger Games franchise. Check it out below.
Suzanne Collins, who wrote the original Hunger Games novels, decided to follow it up with a prequel that takes place 64 years before Katniss Everdeen became a District 12 tribute.
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Francis Lawrence, who directed The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Mockingjay Parts 1 & 2, directs the prequel. Michael Lesslie (Macbeth) penned the most recent draft of the screenplay — building on the work of Collins and Oscar winner Michael Arndt (Catching Fire). The film is being shepherded by franchise producer Nina Jacobson and her producing partner Brad Simpson, along with Lawrence. Collins and Tim Palen are serving as executive producers, with Meredith Wieck and Scott O’Brien overseeing the pic on behalf of Lionsgate.
Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is set during the early days of tyrannical President of Panem, 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth), who 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 (Rachel Zegler), the girl tribute from impoverished District 12. 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’s race against time to survive will ultimately reveal who is a songbird, and who is a snake.
Viola Davis, Peter Dinklage, Hunter Schafer, Josh Andrés Rivera, and Jason Schwartzman also star in the film, which is slated for release in theaters worldwide on November 17, 2023.
Murray Close/Lionsgate
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