The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is an upcoming American dystopian science fiction action film directed by Francis Lawrence from a screenplay by Michael Lesslie and Michael Arndt. It is based on the 2020 novel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins, serves as a prequel to The Hunger Games (2012), and is the fifth installment in The Hunger Games film series. The film stars Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Peter Dinklage, Hunter Schafer, Josh Andrés Rivera, Jason Schwartzman, and Viola Davis. Set 64 years before the events of the first film, its plot follows the events that eventually lead a young Coriolanus Snow on the path to becoming the tyrannical leader of Panem, including his relationship with the Hunger Games tribute Lucy Gray Baird during the year of the 10th Hunger Games.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is scheduled to be released in the United States on November 17, 2023, by Lionsgate Films.
Premise
Cast
Tom Blyth as Coriolanus "Coryo" Snow: A mentor for the upcoming 10th Hunger Games and future President of Panem.
Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird: The female tribute from District 12 who forms a connection with Coriolanus, and a member of the Covey, a travelling musician group.
Peter Dinklage as Casca "Cas" Highbottom: Dean of the Academy and intellectual author of the Hunger Games.
Hunter Schafer as Tigris Snow: Coriolanus's older cousin and confidante, who advises him in everything. She would go on to become a stylist in the Games and an ally to Katniss Everdeen and the resistance against Panem.
Josh Andrés Rivera as Sejanus Plinth: A classmate and friend of Snow, and the mentor to a tribute from District 2. He is from District 2 but now lives in the Capitol.
Jason Schwartzman as Lucretius "Lucky" Flickerman: The first television host for the 10th Hunger Games and assumed ancestor to Caesar Flickerman, who would host later editions of the Games.
Viola Davis as Dr. Volumnia Gaul: The head gamemaker of the 10th Hunger Games and the person who actually implemented them in the first place.
Fionnula Flanagan as Grandma'am: Coriolanus and Tigris's strict grandmother.
Burn Gorman as Commander Hoff: The leader of the peacekeepers in District 12.
Ashley Liao as Clemensia Dovecote: A classmate and friend of Snow, and a mentor to a tribute from District 11.
Max Raphael as Festus Creed: A classmate of Snow, and mentor to a tribute from District 4.
Zoe Renee as Lysistrata Vickers: A classmate of Snow, and mentor of the other District 12 tribute, Jessup.
Nick Benson as Jessup: The male tribute from District 12 alongside Lucy Gray.
Isobel Jesper Jones as Mayfair Lipp: The daughter of District 12's mayor and a rival of Lucy Gray.
George Somner as Spruce: A citizen from District 12.
The tributes for the 10th Hunger Games who form an alliance, known as "the Pack", include: Mackenzie Lansing as Coral, the female tribute from District 4; Cooper Dillon as Mizzen, the male tribute from District 4; Hiroki Berrecloth as Treech, the male tribute from District 7; and Kjell Brutscheidt as Tanner, the male tribute from District 10. Other members of Lucy Gray's travelling musician group, the Covey, include: Dakota Shapiro as Billy Taupe, who is Lucy Gray's former love interest, Vaughan Reilly as Maude Ivory, Honor Gillies as Barb Azure, Eike Onyambu as Tam Amber, and Konstantin Taffet as Clerk Carmine. Additionally, Michael Greco and Daniela Grubert appear as Strabo Plinth and Mrs. Plinth, Sejanus' parents, while Carl Spencer and Scott Folan appear as Smiley and Beanpole, two peacekeepers sent by the Capitol to District 12.
Production
Development
In August 2017, Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer expressed interest in spin-offs of The Hunger Games film series, with intentions to form a writers' room to explore the concept.
In June 2019, Joe Drake, chairman of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, announced that the company was working with author Suzanne Collins with regards to an adaptation of the novel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. By April 2020, Collins and Lionsgate confirmed that plans were underway for the film's development. Francis Lawrence was later confirmed to direct, after doing so for the prior three films in the series. The screenplay was written by Collins, Michael Arndt, and Michael Lesslie, with Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson as producers along with Lawrence. Collins, in addition, would serve as an executive producer on the film. In August 2021, Drake stated that the film was "moving along really, really well" in pre-production.
Casting
In May 2022, Tom Blyth was cast as the young President Snow, with Rachel Zegler as his protégée, tribute Lucy Gray Baird. Zegler was originally offered the role in January, but initially turned it down before later changing her mind. In June 2022, Josh Andrés Rivera (who previously starred in 2021's West Side Story alongside Zegler), Hunter Schafer and Jason Schwartzman were cast. Peter Dinklage was cast in the following month. Throughout June and July 2022, the cast was rounded out with actors portraying the film's multiple tributes and mentors. On August 15, 2022, it was reported that Viola Davis was cast as Volumnia Gaul, the head gamemaker of the 10th annual Hunger Games. On September 16, 2022, more cast members were revealed, including Burn Gorman and Fionnula Flanagan.
Filming
Filming began in Wrocław, Poland on July 11, 2022 and ended in Berlin, Germany on November 5, 2022. Filming locations included the Monument to the Battle of the Nations in Leipzig and the Centennial Hall in Wrocław.
Music
In July 2022, composer James Newton Howard confirmed that he would return to score the film.
The soundtrack for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes contains the film's version of songs such as "The Hanging Tree", "Pure as the Driven Snow", which was confirmed by film producer Nina Jacobson. Rachel Zegler performed the film's version of songs. Music plays a more prominent role in the prequel given the songbird's Covey background. Producer Dave Cobb and the creative team drew heavily from Appalachian-country folk music, while early Dolly Parton and Sissy Spacek's Loretta Lynn informed Lucy Gray's sound. Zegler sang all of Lucy Gray's musical numbers live throughout filming.
On September 16, 2023, "The Hanging Tree (Lucy Gray's version)", as performed by Zegler, was teased in a brief promotional video for the film, as confirmed by Jacobson. "The Hanging Tree (Lucy Gray's version)" was released as a single on October 20, 2023.
Release
Marketing
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is scheduled to be released on November 17, 2023, by Lionsgate Films.
On October 30, 2023, the film was given an interim agreement so that actors could promote it during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, since Lionsgate is not part of AMPTP.
Box office projection
In October, Deadline Hollywood projected The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes to earn $50 million on its opening weekend in North America.
References
External links
2023 science fiction action films
2020s English-language films
2020s science fiction adventure films
2020s science fiction thriller films
Films set in the 1980s
2020s survival films
American action films
American dystopian films
American post-apocalyptic films
American science fiction adventure films
American science fiction action films
American science fiction thriller films
American survival films
Films directed by Francis Lawrence
Films scored by James Newton Howard
Films with screenplays by Michael Arndt
Lionsgate films
The Hunger Games
Upcoming prequel films
Films shot in Poland
2020s American films
American prequel films