The Hunger Games prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes has made another addition to its growing cast as Deadline reports that Jason Schwartzman (The French Dispatch) will star alongside Tom Blyth (Billy The Kid) and Rachel Zegler (West Side Story) in the film.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes sees the Capitol celebrating the 10th annual Hunger Games as Blyth’s Coriolanus Snow tries to rescue his family from poverty after the war. He is assigned as a mentor to a young girl from District 12 for the Games, a chance that could bolster his and his family’s name back into the Capitol’s graces while cementing his future as Panem’s tyrannical President.
Schwartzman will portray Lucretius ‘Lucky’ Flickerman, “the host of the 10th Hunger Games and ancestor to Caesar Flickerman, who would become the voice of Panem.” Stanley Tucci played Caesar Flickerman in The Hunger Games and its sequels.
Franchise director Francis Lawrence is returning to helm the prequel which comes from Suzanne Collins’ novel, adapted by Michael Lesslie from Collins and Michael Arndt’s previous draft.
Years before he would become the tyrannical President of Panem, 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) 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. But, 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 Gray’s race against time to survive will ultimately reveal who is a songbird, and who is a snake.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes stars Tom Blyth (Billy The Kid), Rachel Zegler (West Side Story), Josh Andrés Rivera (West Side Story), Ashley Liao (Physical), Knox Gibson (Forgive Us Our Trespasses), Aamer Husain (Hudson & Rex), Mackenzie Lansing (Mare of Easttown), Nick Benson (Big Shot), Laurel Marsden (Ms. Marvel), Lilly Cooper (The Witcher), Luna Steeples (Overdue), Hiroki Berrecloth (Red Rose), Jason Schwartzman (The French Dispatch) and newcomer Jerome Lance.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes arrives in cinemas on November 17th, 2023.
Ricky Church – Follow me on Twitter for more movie news and nerd talk.
Originally published June 27, 2022. Updated July 19, 2022.
