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The Hunger Games franchise has returned with The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, a much-awaited prequel that delves into the origins of the dystopian universe. Set for a release date of November 17, 2023, Lionsgate Films has released its official trailer, igniting fans' excitement.
The new trailer for The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes was dropped on April 28, 2023, and stars Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler in the leading roles. The official synopsis of the movie on IMDb says,
"Coriolanus Snow at age 18, years before he would become the tyrannical President of Panem. Young Coriolanus is handsome and charming, and though the Snow family has fallen on hard times, he sees a chance for a change in his fortunes when he is chosen to be a mentor for the Tenth Hunger Games. Only to have his elation dashed when he is assigned to mentor the girl tribute from impoverished District 12."
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes will be directed by Francis Lawrence, who helmed three out of five movies in the Hunger Games franchise.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes trailer - Expanding the saga
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes intends to take viewers back in time, offering a rich backstory to the events that led to the society depicted in the trilogy. Written by Suzanne Collins, the prequel will feature a screenplay written by Michael Lesslie and Michael Arndt.
The newly dropped trailer for the upcoming movie shows the viewers glimpses of a young Coriolanus Snow, played by Tom Blyth from the fame of Billy the Kid (2022), while Rachel Zelger takes the role of Lucy Gray Baird, the female tribute from poverty-stricken District 12.
The trailer takes us back 64 years into the past as it moves away from the original cast by bringing together actors such as Peter Dinklage, Hunter Schafer, Viola Davis, Josh Andrés Rivera, Jason Schwartzman, and Fionnula Flanagan.
The opening shot of the trailer shows us Dean Casca Highbottom (Peter Dinklage), the founder of the Hunger Games, taking a swig out of a bottle and announcing,
"I have summoned you all here for the 10th Annual Reaping Ceremony, in which we choose two children from each District to fight to the death in the Hunger Games."
His voiceover continues introducing Coriolanus Snow, who becomes the villain in the main trilogy - originally played by Donald Sutherland.
"There has been a change this year. As a mentor, Mr Snow, your role is to turn these children into spectacles, not survivors."
The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes trailer shows Jason Schwartzman playing Lucky Flickerman, the first-ever host of the Hunger Games, in a broadcasting room. As chaos ensues in a fresh and redesigned Panem of the past, the young girl from District 12, Lucy Gray Baird, grabs attention with her singing chops. She is determined to prove that winning is not everything, while, unfortunately for Snow, it is everything.
More on The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
When it comes to the question of the reappearance of the original Hunger Games star, Katniss Everdeen, Jennifer Lawrence confirmed on Watch What Happens Live that she would not be returning for a cameo.
She says,
"I remember being 21 and thinking, 'My God, one day they'll do redo and remake them. But I'll be so old by then! I'll be dead!"
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is set to release in November with a future streaming date on Peacock.
