Casting News! Tributes & Mentors Cast For 'The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes'

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes has reaped its first round of tribute and mentor characters! As you know, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes takes place within the Hunger Games universe, set roughly 64 years before the first book in the original trilogy.

Jerome Lance will play Marcus, the District 2 tribute who is mentored by (and has some history with) Sejanus Plinth. Ashley Liao (best known for Fuller House and Physical) will play Clemensia Dovecote, one of Coriolanus’s classmates and mentor to District 11's Reaper, who gets herself into a very slippery situation early in the festivities. Knox Gibson will play Bobbin, male tribute from District 8; Mackenzie Lansing (Mare of Eastown) will play Coral, the female tribute from District 4; and Aamer Husain will play Felix Ravinstill, the mentor to the female tribute from District 11, Dill.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes will be released in theaters on November 17, 2023. 

Official Teaser For 'The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes'

Here's our first look at the official teaser for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes! 

Preparations have begun. In 2023, return to the Games...

Rachel Zegler Cast as Lucy Gray Baird in ‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’

Image by @beandesigns_ on instagram

Rachel Zegler, whom you may have seen most recently in West Side Story, has won the lead role of Lucy Gray Baird in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

Lucy Gray Baird is a young female tribute from impoverished District 12 who is mentored in the Games by a young Coriolanus Snow and becomes his very complicated first love. 

“Lucy Gray is an incredibly complex character, a performer who has to use every skill in her arsenal to survive,” Producer Nina Jacobson said. “Our casting team, Deb Zane and Dylan Jury, spearheaded an exhaustive search, reading hundreds of actors in search of our perfect Lucy Gray. That search ended when Rachel Zegler blew the roof off with her depth and breadth of talent as an actor, singer and performer. Like Lucy Gray, her voice and charisma command the stage while her inner strength and humanity transform those around her.”

“Like everybody, I first saw Rachel Zegler in ‘West Side Story,’ and like everybody, I knew I was watching a star who would command the screen for a generation,” said Francis Lawrence. “Lucy Gray is a perfect match for her as an actress: the character is bold, independent and defiant, but also vulnerable, emotional and loving. Rachel will make this character unforgettable.”

‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes’ in cinemas November 17th, 2023 

“Like everybody, I first saw Rachel Zegler in ‘West Side Story,’ and like everybody, I knew I was watching a star who would command the screen for a generation,” said Francis Lawrence. “Lucy Gray is a perfect match for her as an actress: the character is bold, independent and defiant, but also vulnerable, emotional and loving. Rachel will make this character unforgettable.”
‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes’ in cinemas November 17th, 2023 

Tom Blyth has been cast as young Coriolanus Snow in 'The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes'

Tom Blyth, currently starring in Epix’s new Western adventure series Billy The Kid, has been cast as the young President Coriolanus Snow in the upcoming Hunger Games prequel film, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes! 

“Tom's performance will both fulfill and disrupt everything you think you know about Coriolanus Snow. He's a tremendous talent who will show why Snow always lands on top.” said Nina Jacobson. Director Francis Lawrence added, "Coriolanus Snow is many things — a survivor, a loyal friend, a cutthroat, a kid quick to fall in love, and a young man ambitious to his core," Tom's take on Snow showed us all the complex ambiguities of this young man as he transforms into the tyrant he would become."

The film, based on the prequel novel by Suzanne Collins, tells the origin story of a teenage Coriolanus Snow (played by Donald Sutherland in the original movies) and how he starts down the path of becoming the tyrannical President of Panem.

Here's Tom talking about the role, the films and books. It seems like he completely gets why so many of us love The Hunger Games and the universe Suzanne Collins' created. 

The film arrives in theaters November 17, 2023.

‘Hunger Games’ prequel ‘Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ Release Date Unveiled at CinemaCon - November 17, 2023!

Image by @balladofsongbirds instagram

The Lionsgate panel at this year's CinemaCon sent a silver parachute to tributes everywhere. They announced that The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes movie will be released on November 17, 2023!

The announcement included a teaser clip featuring the tag line, “The world will discover… who is a songbird… and who is a snake.”

Image via @D_hernandez912 on twitter

The clip didn’t show any footage from the movie, which is currently in production, nor did it reveal who is cast in the film. Top secret! What we DO know is the newest installment will be produced by Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson and Francis Lawrence, and directed by Lawrence. Writers for the film include creator Suzanne Collins, along with Michael Arndt (who co-wrote The Hunger Games: Catching Fire) and Michael Lesslie.

The Lionsgate synopsis for the film reads, “Years before he would become the tyrannical president of Panem, 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow sees a chance for a change in fortunes when he is chosen to be a mentor to Lucy Gray Baird, the girl tribute from impoverished District 12.”

If you haven't read The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes yet, what are you waiting for? Grab it here. 

Suzanne Collins on 'The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes'

Photo by Todd Plitt

It’s always a treat to hear what goes through Suzanne Collins mind when she’s writing! Here's a great (and rare) interview with Suzanne and David Levithan, VP, Publisher and Editorial Director at Scholastic, and one of her editors, about the making of the book. There are a few spoilers if you haven’t read the book yet! Read on at your own risk.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

David Levithan: I’ll start with the two questions I’m sure most readers will want to ask: Did you always plan to return to Panem after the trilogy with a book set sixty-four years earlier? And if not, what made you return to the story in this way? 

Suzanne Collins: Here’s how it works now. I have two worlds, the Underland (the world of The Underland Chronicles series) and Panem (the world of The Hunger Games). I use both of them to explore elements of just war theory. When I find a related topic that I want to examine, then I look for the place it best fits. The state of nature debate of the Enlightenment period naturally lent itself to a story centered on Coriolanus Snow. 

Focusing on the 10th Hunger Games also gave me the opportunity to tell Lucy Gray’s story. In the first chapter of The Hunger Games, I make reference to a fourth District 12 victor. Katniss doesn’t seem to know anything about the person worth mentioning. While her story isn’t well-known, Lucy Gray lives on in a significant way through her music, helping to bring down Snow in the trilogy. Imagine his reaction when Katniss starts singing “Deep in the Meadow” to Rue in the arena. Beyond that, Lucy Gray’s legacy is that she introduced entertainment to the Hunger Games. 

Click to read more ...

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is Here! Plus Suzanne Collins Reads From Chapter 3

Happy Hunger Games prequel release day, tributes! The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is finally here! If you haven't grabbed your copy yet you can order it on kindle HERE and have it on your phone or tablet in less than a minute. 

Bonus  - Story time with Suzanne Collins! Watch as she reads from Chapter 3 of the book:

We can't wait to hear what you think of the new book! Let us know in the comments or on social media. 

The Dream Team is Back for Another Hunger Games Movie: Francis Lawrence, Suzanne Collins & Nina Jacobson Reunite for The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes At Lionsgate

Exciting news, tributes! Our favorite team is BACK to bring us another Hunger Games film! The Hunger Games franchise filmmaker Francis Lawrence will return to direct the Lionsgate prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes based on Suzanne Collins’ upcoming Scholastic novel available for sale on May 19th. Lawrence directed the last three Hunger Games movies: Catching Fire, Mockingjay Part 1, and Mockingjay Part 2. No casting has been announced, but that doesn’t mean we can't start fan-casting once that book drops. The project will start prep once production can safely resume post COVID-19 pandemic.

We’re thrilled to report that franchise producers Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson are also returning. We know how carefully Nina treated every aspect of the franchise and are so happy she’s back for the prequel(s?). Suzanne Collins will write the film’s treatment (HOORAY!) and Michael Arndt, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of Little Miss Sunshine will adapt the screenplay, after previously serving as one of the writers of Catching Fire. It's going to be GOOD! Suzanne Collins also will serve as an Executive Producer.

The deal was overseen by Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chairman Joe Drake, who bought the original book during his previous tenure at the studio as head of the motion picture group. With the release of the new book, Drake made The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes a priority for Lionsgate.

The prequel movie will focus on Coriolanus Snow at age 18, years before he would become the tyrannical President of Panem. Young Coriolanus is handsome and charming, and though the Snow family has fallen on hard times, he sees a chance for a change in his fortunes when he is chosen to be a mentor for the Tenth Hunger Games… only to have his elation dashed when he is assigned to mentor the girl tribute from impoverished District 12.

Commenting on the announcement, Drake said, “Suzanne’s new book has been worth the wait. It offers everything fans could hope for and expect from The Hunger Games while also breaking new ground and introducing an entirely new canvas of characters. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is creatively thrilling and takes this world to complex new dimensions that open up amazing cinematic possibilities. We’re thrilled to reunite this filmmaking team with this very unique franchise, and we can’t wait to begin production.”

“Lionsgate has always been the cinematic home of The Hunger Games, and I’m delighted to be returning to them with this new book,” said Collins. “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. It’s such a pleasure to be reuniting with Nina, Francis, and Michael to adapt the novel to the screen, and having them share their remarkable talents, once again, with the world of Panem. I look forward to collaborating with them and all at Lionsgate as we bring The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes to theaters worldwide.”

Jim Miller, the Lionsgate executive who has served as the studio’s project executive on all of the franchise’s films, will oversee the production.

Lionsgate hinted at the possibility of more than one Hunger Games prequel movie in the works on twitter yesterday. “We’re just getting started.”

Order your copy of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes HERE.