Set “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 explores the origin story of that future tyrant. After a couple of cryptic teasers, a full trailer has finally arrived.
Yep, that’s Peter Dinklage, once again playing a character who drinks and knows things, plus a little vocal cameo from Donald Sutherland, who played Snow in the main Hunger Games movies. Based on the book by Suzanne Collins, the prequel is directed by Hunger Games series veteran Francis Lawrence and has a screenplay by Michael Lesslie and Michael Arndt. Here’s the official synopsis:
“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 Grey Baird (Rachel Zegler), a tribute from the impoverished District 12. But after Lucy Grey’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 Grey to turn the odds in their favour. 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.”
Along with Dinklage, Blyth, and Zegler, the cast includes Hunter Schafer, Josh Andrés Rivera, Jason Schwartzman, and Viola Davis. It arrives in theatres November 17.