'The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes' is racing forward at Lionsgate, based on the infamous franchise previously headed up by Jennifer Lawrence.
'The Hunger Games' prequel movie, based on Suzanne Collins' 2020 novel 'The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes', has found its first cast member.
Concentrating on a young Coriolanus Snow, previously played in the Jennifer Lawrence-led movie franchise by Donald Sutherland, the prequel will follow the early years of the eventual tyrannical president of Panem and the main antagonist of the series.
Tom Blyth, who has starred in Epix's TV series 'Billy the Kid' as the titular character and HBO's 'The Gilded Age' as Archie Baldwin, will play the role of an 18-year-old Snow.
The official Instagram page for 'The Hunger Games' posted: "Snow lands on top. Tom Blyth has been cast as Coriolanus Snow in 'The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes'."
Austrian filmmaker Francis Lawrence, who helmed all of the past movies of the franchise except for the very first production, will return to direct this new instalment for Lionsgate. Blyth is the only cast member confirmed for this return to Panem.
"Coriolanus Snow is many things — a survivor, a loyal friend, a cutthroat, a kid quick to fall in love, and a young man ambitious to his core," the director said. "Tom's take on the character showed us all the complex ambiguities of this young man as he transforms into the tyrant he would become."
The official synopsis for 'The Hunger Games' prequel is as follows: "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."
What will happen to Snow during the film in order to pave his path towards becoming a villainous politician? We're sure Katniss Everdeen would love to find out too.
'The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes' arrives in theatres on November 2023.
