New Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes Still & Interview With Francis Lawrence In Empire Magazine

An exclusive new still from The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes and an interview with director Francis Lawrence is in the October issue of Empire Magazine. The digital copy will be available Thursday, August 31st for Empire members. 

In the interview Francis discusses how Lucy Gray Baird differs from of Katniss Everdeen, how Rachel had to jump right into the arena, and a key scene we're all looking forward to from the book:

“Katniss was an introvert and a survivor,” Francis says. “She was quite quiet and stoic. Lucy Gray is the opposite. She wears her sexuality on her sleeve, and she really is a performer. She loves crowds,” says Lawrence. “She knows how to play crowds and manipulate people.” 

The new film is set against the tenth annual Hunger Games, in which Lucy Gray, a travelling musician confined to one of the competing districts, has been chosen to enter. Zegler - who broke through as Maria in Steven Spielberg's West Side Story - had already proven she had the musical chops for the part. But how would she fare as a contestant in a brutal fight to the death?

She didn't have long to find out. Two days after wrapping Disney's live-action Snow White, Zegler was in Poland shooting intense battle scenes in the staged Hunger Games arena. "The opening of the games we call 'the bloodbath, and that's exactly what she had to jump into right away," says Lawrence. He describes Zegler's first few days, which saw her running around a dusty, crumbling set while performing combat choreography. "She was leaving [the set] bruised pretty much every day, but those fighter qualities came in," he remembers.

Mentoring Lucy Gray through the games is Corialanus Snow (Tom Blyth), who, it's no spoiler to say, rises to become the big bad played by Donald Sutherland in Katniss' story. In The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes, young Snow is trying to restore his family's legacy when he succumbs to Lucy Gray's well-rehearsed charms. "She loves crowds. She knows how to play crowds and manipulate people," says Lawrence, who reveals that rather than deadly weapons, this is the character's strongest survival tool.

The film will play up to its new hero's performative personality with a series of musical numbers, some of which come courtesy of Lucy Gray's troupe, the Covey. Żegler was learning the guitar when she came on board and had tutorials to further prepare for the role, while Lawrence gave her country music from the 1930s to listen to. A particularly key performance will occur at a crucial point in the games. "It was so emotional to hear the song, which is an a cappella piece that she sings near the end of the arena sequence," he says. "I think it stunned everybody."

After one of these songs, she delivers a slow, defiant bow to the crowd, a nod to Katniss and proof that some connective tissue exists between the polar-opposite protagonists. "The bow was actually not scripted," Lawrence reveals. "I thought it could be really interesting, as [we] start to develop more history and mythology, if somebody else long before [Katniss] had done that." 

Enjoy the show! 

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Textbook Covers Revealed + New Panem Notebook Available

The Academy sent a message about a senior year reading list the other day and now we’ve got our first look at the covers of the “textbooks”. 📚 These they are the actual book cover designs from the prop books they used while filming on the Academy set of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. You can get a quick glimpse of them in the Behind the Scenes Set Tour video and stills here.

The History of Panem notebooks are available now for pre-order in the Lionsgate shop for $16.95, expected to ship September 7, 2023. It’s not an actual textbook, but a lined notebook with the textbook cover. We were hoping they would make all of the different styles availble for purchase as notebooks but we're still not sure if that's going to happen. Stay tuned. 

If you want to recieve text message updates from "The Academy" you can sign up by texting 1-717-THG-MKJY (1-717-844-6559) from mobile or WhatsApp. 

If you want more info on Panem Maps and to see a gallery of the official maps that have been released plus some fan maps, head to our Panem Map gallery.  

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes 2024 Calendar

Here’s a first look at The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes 2024 calendar! The 12 month calendar also includes a pull-out color poster and will be released on August 31st.

You can pre-order the calendar on Amazon here.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Welcome to The Academy Teaser

For the glory of Panem! A new promotional video for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes was just released! Have you received your welcome to The Academy? Text 1-717-THG-MKJY to enroll - Available worldwide. Use WhatsApp if you're outside the US and then follow the prompts to join the community. Just make sure you select US as the country to get the +1 and then enter the remaining numbers.  🕊️🐍

Deluxe Hunger Games 4 Book Collection Hardcover UK Edition Box Set Revealed

Check out the gorgeous, brand new, deluxe hardcover collection of The Hunger Games book series from Scholastic UK. This beautiful boxset will be released on October 26th, 2023 in the UK, and is available to pre-order now. 

The USD cost is approximately $89 and they can be shipped to the US for approx $15 shipping fee plus a few dollars exchange, making the total approx $107 at post time.

The cover art is by UK Artist Freya Betts and the design takes inspiration from Tim O’Brien’s iconic mockingjay cover art.

Tim O'Brien designed the US and Canada's original book covers, and Scholastic UK’s iconic "classic" editions in 2012, released the same year the first Hunger Games film hit screens around the world.

To celebrate the release of Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes feature film, Freya Betts has taken the four logos and added a modern twist.

The box set includes The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay and The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes with new covers, foil details, and the box. You can pre-order your copy on Amazon now HERE. 

*As an Amazon Associate I may earn a small amount from qualifying purchases. 

Parallels: The Ballad of Songbirds And Snakes & The Hunger Games Films

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes first trailer has been out for TWO weeks (!!), and we’re still thinking about all of the parallels between Ballad and the original films. SPOILERS AHEAD for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

 

The one parallel I think everyone noticed immediately was the Lucy Gray curtsey callback to Katniss sarcastically curtseying for the Gamemakers, not only in The Hunger Games..

 

…But also in Catching Fire. Rachel Zegler said it was an ad lib. But director Francis Lawrence noted in Variety, “I thought it’d be really interesting if we created a history of it so that maybe [Katniss] didn’t come up with it on her own. Maybe she’d heard about this girl from a long time ago, having done the same thing.” 

 

Katniss finds a white rose from President Snow while visiting District 12 after the Capitol bombing. She thinks, “That white-as-snow rose is a personal message to me. It speaks of unfinished business. It whispers, “I can find you. I can reach you. Perhaps I am watching you now.”

The white rose Coriolanus holds at the train station is from the Grandma’am’s precious rose garden, on a suggestion from Tigris to offer his tribute, Lucy Gray, a token. “I need to make a connection with her. As you always say, your roses open any doors.”

 

Throughout The Hunger Games films, President Snow is often seen wearing red. This scene featuring young Coriolanus on the Corso gives major future President Snow vibes. 

 

I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a role more perfectly cast than Jason Schwartzman as Lucky Flickerman, an ancestor of Stanley Tucci’s Caesar Flickerman from the original films. On their similarities, producer Nina Jacobson says, “He’s not impersonating [Tucci] - but there are moments with his laugh or flair.” Lawrence adds. “I said, ‘Listen, I think the character is under-written right now. But we have a lot of opportunity to flesh him out. I would love your help if you’re game.’” Schwartzman was. “I think he had, at the end of the day, 50 pages of new ideas and dialogue for all of his scenes. He had so much fun.”

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First Official Stills From The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds And Snakes

Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird & Tom Blyth as Coriolanus Snow in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds And Snakes

Along with the release of the first trailer for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds And Snakes, we've got a look at our first official stills from the film. Legendary film photographer, Murray Close, is on hand again to capture all of the beautiful still photography throughout the filming of the movie. We always love to see how he captures both the key film and behind the scenes moments. 

Tom Blyth as Coriolanus Snow, and Josh Andrés Rivera as Sejanus Plinth inThe Hunger Games The Ballad of Songbirds And SnakesHunter Schafer as Tigris Snow Official Still from The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird, Tom Blyth as Coriolanus Snow in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds And Snakes Viola Davis as Dr Gaul in The Ballad of Songbirds and SnakesJason Schwartzman as Lucky Flickerman

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Trailer Launch Q&A With Director Francis Lawrence and Producer Nina Jacobson

Nina Jacobson and Francis Lawrence by TOM JAMIESON/STR

We were honored to be among a group of select fandom accounts that Lionsgate invited to Las Vegas for an exclusive 3 day trailer launch event for The Hunger Games:The Ballad of Songbirds And Snakes during CinemaCon. This fandom trip of a lifetime included a viewing of the first official trailer the day before anyone else at a private event within The Hunger Games Exhibition, and a Q&A with director Francis Lawence and producer Nina Jacobson. 

This Q&A is a long one, but if you're a huge fan of the books and films there are so many details from Francis and Nina that you won't want to miss.

TV presenter Nikki Novak hosted the Q&A and took our questions afterward.

FRANCIS LAWRENCE: We shot [Ballad] last year in Germany and Poland. Very, very proud of it, and we wanted you guys to be the first ones to see the trailer.

NINA JACOBSON: It's so fun to watch them watch it.

FRANCIS LAWRENCE: I know.

NINA JACOBSON: That was so exciting watching you guys watch it. It was really thrilling.

NIKKI NOVAK: Yeah, we were watching all of you and it must be so rewarding. So first of all, congratulations to both of you. Just wanted to ask, you read Suzanne's book, and what was the vision? Like, how did you sort of go about tackling this new film and bringing in elements of the original, but then making it something completely new?

NINA JACOBSON: Well, I think one of the things that was so exciting about the book was that, on the one hand, it's so deeply steeped in the mythology of the original books and movies, and a story that everybody who's watched it or read it, knows so well.

And on the other hand, you know, Lucy Gray is the polar opposite of Katniss Everdeen. It doesn't feel like it's trying to duplicate. It's sort of striking out, and on one hand, it’s really new ground and a completely different visual language because it's a period movie. It's very different visually, which Francis can speak to. But also, she's such a different character.

And then, to see a young Snow, somebody who we've spent all of these movies fearing and loathing. And to understand who he was, and how he became who he was, was a really rewarding experience in book, and also really thrilling experience to bring it to life as a film.

 

NIKKI NOVAK: Francis, you and I were talking a little bit before we began about you meeting Rachel for the first time and having a four-hour meeting. I mean, it's so obvious. She is the real-life songbird, but why was she the person that you wanted for this film, and what did she bring to this film?

 

FRANCIS LAWRENCE: I mean, you know, one of the things is just that she's one of the most talented young actresses out there right now. But, you know, the character of Lucy Gray is a really tricky one, right? Because she's a mercurial character, right? So she's emotional, but she's also damaged, and she's lived quite a lot more honestly than the character of Snow has. But she also has to be a fantastic singer. And you know, Rachel's a phenomenal singer.

And so, yeah, we sat down and talked about the character and talked about the books and just had a fantastic meeting.

NIKKI NOVAK: And talk about casting Tom in the role. I mean, how many people did you see? And why was he the guy? I mean, you look at him, and he's extraordinary to look at, but he has such a presence. Yeah, I said it. [laugh]

FRANCIS LAWRENCE: [laugh]

NIKKI NOVAK: Thank you. [laugh]

FRANCIS LAWRENCE: No, I mean, we saw a lot of people, I will say. And there were, you know, a few people that sort of piqued our interest, and then, Tom kind of came out of the blue for us, honestly. We didn't really know much about him, didn't know who he was. And he came in, and we saw a reading of his with our casting director that was just great. I mean, he was magnetic, and he's so good at his craft. I mean, you know, he's an English actor. He's a Juilliard graduate. He really loves acting and really studies acting and really cares and really works. But also, there's the resemblance to Donald Sutherland. And so, you know, all those factors combined kind of made him the guy.

I'd also say that there's an element of him that is very controlled, which Snow is, and Donald is, that I liked very much for the role.

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