Three interesting excerpts from The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes have been revealed ahead of the film's release date of November 17th.
In one scene, Rachel Zegler's Lucy Gray Baird takes center stage as it is announced that she has been chosen to represent District 12 in the next Hunger Games. On her approach to the stage, she exacts her vengeance on the mayor's daughter, who appears to have had a hand in Baird's selection.
Fans of Suzanne Collins' prequel novel are praising the footage for perfectly capturing the mood of how the scene played out in the book.
In another clip, Viola Davis' chilling take on Dr. Volumnia Gaul introduces Casca "Cas" Highbottom (played by Peter Dinklage), the creator of the Hunger Games.
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Co-starring alongside Zegler (Shazam! Fury of the Gods, West Side Story), is Tom Blyth (Scott and Sid, Billy the Kid) as Coriolanus Snow, a character previously played by Donald Sutherland in the first Hunger Games trilogy.
Director Francis Lawrence (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 and Part 2) previously stated that the title of the film is in reference to the complex relationship between Lucy Gray and Snow and how it's never clear which one is the songbird and which one is the snake.
Lawrence directed The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes from a script written by Michael Lesslie (Macbeth, The Little Drummer Girl) and Michael Arndt (Star Wars: The Force Awakens, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire).
In addition to Blyth, Zegler, Dinklage and Davis, the film also stars Hunter Schafer as Tigris Snow, Josh Andrés Rivera as Sejanus Plinth, and Jason Schwartzman as Lucretius "Lucky" Flickerman.
The official synopsis for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes reads, "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 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."