The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes has been clear about the role music will play in the film, and a new preview gives us a tease of a new song from Olivia Rodrigo titled Can’t Catch Me Now. Watch this:

With president Snow being likened to a snake back in the original Hunger Games films, the Songbird in the title will be referring to the character of Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), the tribute from District 12 who Snow apparently falls in love with.

Though audiences got to watch Katniss reluctantly become a celebrity for the capitol and eventually the revolution, Lucy has been described as a sort of “anti-Katniss” in that she is very adept with performing and playing the game for the audiences. She was also said to be the one to write the Hanging Tree anthem which Katniss uses in the Mockingjay films.

Here’s the official description for the movie:

THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES follows a young Coriolanus (Tom Blyth) who is the last hope for his failing lineage, the once-proud Snow family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol. With his livelihood threatened, Snow is reluctantly assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), a tribute from the impoverished District 12. But after Lucy Gray’s charm captivates the audience of Panem, Snow sees an opportunity to shift their fates. With everything he has worked for hanging in the balance, Snow unites with Lucy Gray to turn the odds in their favor. Battling his instincts for both good and evil, Snow sets out on a race against time to survive and reveal if he will ultimately become a songbird or a snake.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes comes to theaters on Nov. 17.

The prequel The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is set to release next month, and we have a new featurette which tells us exactly who the main players of the early Hunger Games are, and how all the pieces fit together to make Coriolanus Snow the ruthless leader he becomes in the original films. Watch this:

Though it’s made clear that Snow is going to be the main character of the movie, there is a lot of intrigue when it comes to the character of Lucy Gray Baird who the filmmakers are calling the ‘Anti-Katniss’. Whereas audiences got to watch Katniss evolve and learn how the play the celebrity game in the Capitol, Lucy is said to be very adept at performing and saving face; making her a natural on the spotlight—and possibly deadly to everyone else.

We don’t know if they plan to split the prequel book into even more movies, but for now, it’s just exciting to come back to the world and have more of its history fleshed out.

THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES follows a young Coriolanus (Tom Blyth) who is the last hope for his failing lineage, the once-proud Snow family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol. With his livelihood threatened, Snow is reluctantly assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), a tribute from the impoverished District 12. But after Lucy Gray’s charm captivates the audience of Panem, Snow sees an opportunity to shift their fates. With everything he has worked for hanging in the balance, Snow unites with Lucy Gray to turn the odds in their favor. Battling his instincts for both good and evil, Snow sets out on a race against time to survive and reveal if he will ultimately become a songbird or a snake.

Sonbirds and Snakes will clash when The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes comes to cinemas on Nov. 17.

The movie is set to come out this November, and we have a new trailer that gives us a look at the Hunger Games before it became the heartless spectacle that we saw back in 2012. Watch this:

Hunger Games fans will know Coriolanus Snow best as the main villain of the original Hunger Games films, but this prequel will have us seeing a more innocent version of the character years before he became the ruthless dictator everyone knows about.

As it turns out, Snow himself did have a little bit more humanity, but based on what we see in the trailers, it looks like he’s going to make a descent into a darker world, and it will have everything to do with him falling in love with tribute Lucy Gray Baird.

Though some would love this film to be another trilogy, I would be surprised if they managed to keep it as one contained story. After all, we know that the Hunger Games will still be around 60 years later, so it would be odd if the movie ended with some kind of cliffhanger or tease for more sequels.

Then again, that’s just my opinion.

Here’s the official description:

Experience the story of THE HUNGER GAMES — 64 years before Katniss Everdeen volunteered as tribute, and decades before Coriolanus Snow became the tyrannical President of Panem.

THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES follows a young Coriolanus (Tom Blyth) who is the last hope for his failing lineage, the once-proud Snow family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol. With his livelihood threatened, Snow is reluctantly assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), a tribute from the impoverished District 12. But after Lucy Gray’s charm captivates the audience of Panem, Snow sees an opportunity to shift their fates. With everything he has worked for hanging in the balance, Snow unites with Lucy Gray to turn the odds in their favor. Battling his instincts for both good and evil, Snow sets out on a race against time to survive and reveal if he will ultimately become a songbird or a snake.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is set to hit cinemas on Nov. 17.

Just in, Lionsgate has released a new trailer, and it gives us a look at the start of Panem’s annual child murder show. Watch this:

THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES follows a young Coriolanus (Tom Blyth) who is the last hope for his failing lineage, the once-proud Snow family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol. With his livelihood threatened, Snow is reluctantly assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), a tribute from the impoverished District 12. But after Lucy Gray’s charm captivates the audience of Panem, Snow sees an opportunity to shift their fates. With everything he has worked for hanging in the balance, Snow unites with Lucy Gray to turn the odds in their favor. Battling his instincts for both good and evil, Snow sets out on a race against time to survive and reveal if he will ultimately become a songbird or a snake.

Though Coriolanus Snow was considered the cold and calculating big bad in the Hunger Games franchise, the story will be following his rise to power, and his eventual romance with District 12’s Lucy Gray Baird. It’s interesting; though Katniss was a reluctant hero in the original trilogy, it looks like Lucy is all for the game and is set to be a crowd-pleasing champion.

I do have to say, it’s also great to see Peter Dinklage in something again after Game of Thrones. He may not be in House of the Dragon, but he can pretty much be playing his own new game with Songbirds and Snakes.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is expected to release in theaters on Nov. 17.

As announced by Zegler on her Twitter, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes has wrapped filming. Here’s the post:

i have loved every second.
and that’s a wrap. pic.twitter.com/1rHmOVA4hM

— rachel zegler (she/her/hers) (@rachelzegler) November 5, 2022

With the story taking place decades before Katniss Everdeen broke the wheel of the Capitol, Zegler plays the character of Lucy Gray Baird, a tribute girl from District 12. Though Lucy is considered to be the co-protagonist of the film, we’re also going to be following a young Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) as he learns to play the Capitol’s game and sets the stage for himself becoming one of the most ruthless leaders of Panem.

With the film coming out in November of next year, it could be a while before we get a new trailer, but fingers crossed we get a teaser before the year ends—especially now that filming has wrapped.

Here’s the official description for the film.

Return to The Hunger Games, the landmark film franchise that has earned over $3 billion globally, with Lionsgate’s adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ #1 New York Times Bestseller The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. 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.

Catch The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes when it hits theaters Nov. 17, 2023.

Just in, Zegler has shared a first image of herself and co-star Tom Blyth from The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Check them out:

https://twitter.com/rachelzegler/status/1559487621520244736

Even if this is just supposed to be a teaser image, a lot of fans have been poking fun at how it looks like it’s from a CW drama rather than a dystopian science fiction movie. The costumes just look so simple that it doesn’t feel like there was an effort to make the movie look a little futuristic.

In the books, it was said that Coriolanus actually got feelings for Lucy, which was going to complicate things since he was from the Capitol, and she had to participate in future gladiatorial combat. Though the they do look like a couple now, fans are already gearing up for the worst, especially since we know where Snow ends up in the Hunger Games films.

With this first image out, a new teaser for the movie can’t be far behind. Though Catching Fire is considered to be the only “good” Hunger Games film, I’m sure there are a lot of zoomers that would want to see a return to the world of Panem.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is set to hit theaters on Nov. 17, 2023.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jason Schwartzman (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World) has been cast as Lucretius “Lucky” Flickerman, host of the 10^th Hunger Games and possible ancestor to the original trilogy’s Caesar Flickerman.

In the original Hunger Games, Caesar Flickerman’s job was to help ‘sell’ the Tributes to the audience by making them more likeable and bringing out their best during interviews. While Flickerman was a voice of the Capitol, it was said that there was some sympathy directed toward his character because he had also helped the Tributes cope with the Games.

We don’t know exactly how Schwartzman will pull of his Lucky Flickerman, but I imagine he’s also going to be decked in colorful outfits and brushing off the notion of a brutal death like it was nothing.

Here’s the synopsis:

“Years before he would become the tyrannical President of Panem, 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow 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, 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’s race against time to survive will ultimately reveal who is a songbird and a snake.”

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Sonbirds and Snakes comes to theaters on Nov. 17, 2023.

As per Variety, Hunter Schafer (who plays Jules in Euphoria) has been cast as Tigris Snow in Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Tigris is a cousin of Coriolanus Snow (Blyth), and is a stylist who lives in the Capitol. We actually get to see her meet Katniss in Mockingjay, and in this prequel, Tigris is the one who will be providing the outfits for a young Coriolanus.

With the franchise’s main themes about rebellion and class struggle, you can forget that the series also has a huge emphasis when it comes to fashion. We have characters that focused on Katniss’ look and their reveals were all pretty poignant scenes.

With someone like Schafer onboard for Tigris, I’m hoping she also gets to have her share of crazy outfits, You don’t cast someone as colourful as her and not dress her up in the film.

Return to The Hunger Games, the landmark film franchise that has earned over $3 billion globally, with Lionsgate’s adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ #1 New York Times Bestseller The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. 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.

Catch The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes when it comes to theaters on Nov. 17.

As per Deadline, a Lionsgate company quarterly earnings call has revealed that the movie The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is set to start production in the first half of 2022, and is aiming to release the film sometime in 2023 or early 2024. We don’t have much specifics on the film, but it’s said that the movie is “moving along really, really well.”

In the book The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, we follow the story of an 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow who has been tasked to mentor a young girl from District 12 for the 10^th Hunger Games. Here’s the official synopsis:

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.

Admittedly, there are some readers who aren’t a big fan of the books, but it does offer some great insight on the original franchise’s villain. Though I’m sure some fans would want a return of Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss, I think it would be hard to work into the film because it takes place 50 years before she was born. Maybe they can make her the narrator for the film, but even then that could be considered a cheap move.

No official release date has been set for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.