Here’s a First Look at ‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’

An exclusive first look of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes aired prior to the 2022 MTV Movie & TV Awards.  

Based on the 2019 Suzanne Collins novel by the same name, the film serves as a prequel to The Hunger Games trilogy, the first of which debuted a decade ago. It will follow the teenage years of the character who will later become President Coriolanus Snow, played by Donald Sutherland. Tom Blyth has been tapped to play Coriolanus Snow. 

Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes will be directed by Francis Lawrence, who previously helmed the final two of the three films in The Hunger Games trilogy, which earned $3 billion worldwide.

It was announced late last month that West Side Story standout Rachel Zegler joined the cast as Lucy Gray Baird, the girl tribute from impoverished District 12 who gets assigned to Snow.

“Like everybody, I first saw Rachel Zegler in West Side Story, and like everybody, I knew I was watching a star who would command the screen for a generation,” Lawrence said, per Deadline. “Lucy Gray is a perfect match for her as an actress: the character is bold, independent, and defiant, but also vulnerable, emotional, and loving. Rachel will make this character unforgettable.” 

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is scheduled to hit theaters on Nov. 17, 2023.