The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023)

The Hunger Games prequel film is based on Suzanne Collins novel documenting the origins of the villainous President Snow

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is an American dystopian adventure film, and serves as a prequel to The Hunger Games (2012). The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is the fifth film in the Hunger Games franchise, and is directed by Francis Lawrence, who directed every film in the franchise since The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013). The film is an adaptation of the 2020 book written by Suzanne Collins, and the author also executive produces on the production. The prequel takes place 64 years before the first Hunger Games film and tells the story of a young Corolianus Snow and his rise to power to become the villainous President of Panem. 

The film stars Tom Blyth as Coriolanus Snow, and Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird, a charismatic District 12 tribute who catches Snow’s eye. Josh Andres Rivera plays Sejanus Plinth, a friend and mentor to Snow, and Hunter Schafer plays Tigris, Snow’s cousin. Acclaimed, multi-award-winning actor Viola Davis plays a new character to the Hunger Games called Volumnia Gaul, who is the Head Gamemaker.  Peter Dinklage portrays Casca Highbottom. Fionnula Flanagan portrays Coriolanus Snow’s grandmother, and Flora Li Thiemann plays tribute mentor Livia Carden. Isobel Jesper Jones plays Mayfair Lipp, a politician's daughter, and Honor Gillies plays Barb Azure. Jason Schwartzman plays Lucretius 'Lucky' Flickerman. The extended cast includes Burn Gorman, Eike Onyambu, Michael Greco, Konstantin Taffet, Scott Folan, Carl Spencer, and Daniela Grubert.