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. 

New Hunger Games Set Photos + Watch all 4 Films Free on Facebook & Instagram

 

Happy Holidays to all of you tributes! Our gift from Lionsgate this year is a little advent calendar of never-before-seen behind the scenes movie stills (dropping every day for the next few days) PLUS you can watch all 4 films now on Facebook and Instagram Messenger Video Chat and on The Hunger Games Facebook page through Christmas!

Check out some fun set photos from The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay Parts 1 and 2!

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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. 

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UK Tributes: Watch 'The Hunger Games' on Lionsgate LIVE - A Free Night At The Movies!

Rewatch alert for UK tributes: The Hunger Games will be broadcast on the Lionsgate UK Youtube channel this Saturday May 23rd for another #LionsgateLive! Lionsgate Live benefits the NHS Charities Together, supporting NHS staff, volunteers and patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, and The Film and TV Charity Covid-19 Emergency Response, supporting the people behind the scenes who bring these stories to our screens.

If you live in the UK, you can watch the broadcast here Saturday, May 23rd at 6pm BST! For more details, or if you'd just like to donate to a great cause, head over to Lionsgate.Live/UK. 

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 Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes': Listen To The First 11 Minutes of the Hunger Games Prequel Novel

Listen to an extended excerpt from the official audiobook of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Suzanne Collins' upcoming Hunger Games prequel! The story follows an 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow as he prepares for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the 10th Hunger Games. He's up against a lot: His family has fallen on hard times, and he's forced to guide the female tribute from District 12, considered the lowest of the low. Suddenly, their fates are intertwined.

The book is headed to film with the dream team from the last 3 movies, Suzanne Collins adapting the book for film, Francis Lawrence directing, and Nina Jacobson producing.

 

Santino Fontana, Tony-winning Broadway star of Tootsie and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend alum, reads the audiobook. “You think you know someone but there are a lot of surprises,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “You're going to understand a lot more of why he is the way he is.”

Listen to 11+ minutes of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes' first chapter at the link below. The book is available in hardcover and audiobook on May 19 and is available for pre-order HERE.

 

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Chapter 1

More about the book:

It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute.  

The odds are against him. He’s been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined — every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute . . . and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.