May the odds be ever in your favor.
As one of those kids who was obsessed with The Hunger Games books and movies, as well as Jennifer Lawrence in that lead role, you can understand how incredibly happy I was when I heard that the prequel novel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, was in development for an adaptation, and it seems that each week, we are constantly getting more news for this anticipated film.
But who is going to be in this new adaptation? And what is the plot going to be about? To answer your Songbirds and Snakes questions, here are six quick things that we know about the new film.
What Is The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes Release Date?
If you were wondering when the movie was going to be released, it is set to come out on November 17, 2023, according to Deadline.
The official release date is almost eight years after the last film, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2, released in 2015. And now, we can thankfully add this movie onto our 2023 movie release schedule. Truly, this will be the adventure of a lifetime once this film comes out, and it’ll be almost like a reset in my brain - we’re returning to Panem.
Watch The Trailer
Finally, we were given a trailer for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. Not only does it show brilliant set designs to fully immerse fans into the world of Panem once again but gives viewers their first look at our main characters - and the ultimate villain origin story.
The Prequel Will Follow A Young Cornelius Snow
Remember in the original Hunger Games series when we all hated Cornelius Snow, the tyrannical president of Panem? Yeah, that’s who is going to be the lead character of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes - Cornelius Snow.
Based on the novel of the same name, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is going to follow Snow as a young man, trying to save his family from ruin in a post-war Capitol. When he’s assigned to mentor Lucy Baird, the girl tribute from District 12 for the 10th annual Hunger Games, she ends up singing during the reaping ceremony. And Snow starts to see how he can use her to turn the tide in their favor, and rebuild the reputation of not only his family, but himself.
If you can tell from the basic premise, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a prequel to The Hunger Games series - which means we probably aren’t going to get to see any of the characters that we know about from the original Hunger Games trilogy (which you can watch streaming). However, as someone who has read the novel, I can say that it will open up a whole new side to Snow that we’ve never seen before, and it tells a story that truly will blow your mind.
Tom Blyth And Rachel Zegler Will Star
With a movie such as this, we already know exactly who will be the lead stars of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. If you’re wondering who out there is capable of taking on such a complex character like Cornelius Snow, the lead has already been cast, and he’s going to be played by Tom Blyth.
The 27-year-old actor has appeared in a good amount of movies and TV shows, from a guest role in the HBO series, The Gilded Age, to the lead role in the Epix original series, Billy the Kid, playing the titular character, but seeing him in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is going to be great, as he not only gets to play this awesome character, but show off his acting skills.
Also acting alongside him in one of the main roles for the movie is Rachel Zegler, who has gained so much fame in the last few years for her portrayal of Maria as part of the 2021 West Side Story cast (and will play Snow White in the upcoming live-action Disney adaptation). She was casted as Lucy Baird, the tribute that Snow is assigned to mentor. I can’t wait to see her and Blyth’s interactions on screen together.
Viola Davis, Peter Dinklage, Hunter Schafer, And More Have Been Cast
When I tell you that casting news has been constantly coming out for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, I mean it. Ever since the original announcement of the film, more and more news has been released.
A huge star that was added to the cast, according to Deadline, was Viola Davis, a legendary actress who has been known for her parts in The Woman King, Fences, the TV show, How To Get Away With Murder, and so much more. She is set to play the Head Gamemaker, Volumnia Gaul. Also joining the cast is Game of Thrones cast member, Peter Dinklage, according to Deadline, portraying Casva Highbottom, a dean of the Academy. Deadline also reported that Fionnula Flanagan has been cast in the role of Grandma’am, the grandmother of Coriolanus Snow.
Plenty of other casting news has come out as well. Hunter Schafer, best known for her portrayal of Jules in the Euphoria cast, a popular teen drama on HBO, has been cast as Tigres, Snow’s cousin. Jason Schwartzman has also joined the cast as Lucretius “Lucky” Flickerman, who is the host of the 10th Hunger Games - and is an ancestor of Caesar Flickerman, who you may remember was played by Stanley Tucci in the original Hunger Games movies.
Other cast members that have been announced, according to Deadline, are Max Raphael, Zoe Renee, Ayomide Adegun, Kaitlyn Akinpelumi, Sofia Sanchez, Amelie Hoeferle, Josh Andres Rivera, and many others. Truly, this cast is stacked with stars.
Director Francis Lawrence Is Helming The Prequel
While the first Hunger Games movie was directed by Gary Ross, Catching Fire and Mockingjay: Part 1 and Part 2 were directed by Francis Lawrence, and while the director has come out with plenty of films in the nearly seven years since the last Hunger Games came out, such as Red Sparrow, Slender Man, and Slumberland, he’s returning to direct The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
Suzanne Collins, The Author Of The Novel, Will Serve As An Executive Producer
See, this is what truly makes me happy. In many book adaptations, I’m always eager to see that the author is a part of the process of making the movie, such as Stephen Chbosky, the author of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, directing the film, so I was really excited to see that the author of The Hunger Games franchise, Suzanne Collins, is going to serve as an executive producer.
Suzanne Collins actually co-wrote the screenplay for the first Hunger Games movie, so I’m happy to see her return as an executive producer for this film, and hopefully, we’ll be able to see from the ground up just how Snow came to be that tyrannical president we all know.
Filming Completed In November 2022
If you were wondering if filming for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes has come to an end, we can happily confirm that it is over! Originally, it was reported by Deadline that the production team behind the movie was looking to start filming in the first half of 2022, which was accomplished.
Later on, it was confirmed by Rachel Zegler, one of the stars, that filming had completed in November 2022, posting a very sweet tribute to the cast and crew on her Instagram.
It’s so awesome to see that filming has come to an end, and with the release date looming closer, I'm even more excited.
What are you the most excited for when it comes to The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes? The drama? The fighting? The amazing acting we are sure to get? I need this movie now and for it to get here as soon as possible.
