The latest trailer for “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” is here, and by the looks of it, the box office will be ever in its favor.
Based on the 2020 novel by Suzanne Collins, the upcoming dystopian action film winds back the clock 64 years before Katniss Everdeen volunteered as tribute to compete for her life in her sister's place.
The film, starring Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Peter Dinklage, Hunter Schafer and Viola Davis, promises to pull audiences into the origins of the televised death match known as the Hunger Games set in the world of Panem.
“The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” will also feature familiar —albeit much younger — faces, giving longtime fans of the franchise a 360 view of one of its most villainous characters.
Here's everything we know so far.
When is the film coming out?
"The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" premieres in theaters on Nov. 17.
Is "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" a prequel?
“The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” is a spinoff and a prequel to Suzanne Collins’ "Hunger Games" trilogy.
The book was released in May 2020 and follows a young President Coriolanus Snow, the main antagonist of the series.
What is the book about?
“The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” follows an 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow, played by Blyth in the film, well before he becomes the rose-sniffing tyrant of Panem.
According the book's synopsis, the story is set during the time of the 10th annual Hunger Games, and Coriolanus' family "has fallen on hard times."
As the son of a once-wealthy family of consequence, he is determined to win the prize awarded to the mentor of the Hunger Games’ victor.
He's assigned to mentor a female tribute from District 12 (sound familiar?) named Lucy Gray Baird, played by Rachel Zegler in the movie, and their fates become "completely intertwined."
After he starts to develop feelings for Lucy, he’s forced to decide between fighting for power or love.
Will Katniss Everdeen be in "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes"?
“The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” is a prequel set more than six decades years before Katniss Everdeen entered the Hunger Games arena.
This means the teen archer was not yet born by the time the events of “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” take place. As a result, beloved characters like Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) and Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth) likely will not be making appearances.
Who else is in the cast of "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes"?
The Hunger Games prequel boasts a star-studded cast in addition to leads Rachel Zegler and Tom Blyth. Here's what to know.
Hunter Schafer
The “Euphoria” actor will appear in the series as Tigris Snow, cousin to Coriolanus.
In “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” Tigris is a 21-year-old aspiring stylist when her cousin (the future President Snow) asks her for help preparing for the reaping. She later assists Coriolanus and Lucy in the book as they attempt to endear themselves with television audiences during interviews.
While Schafer is new to the franchise, her character isn’t.
Fans of “The Hunger Games” will likely remember Tigris as a stylist who helps disguise Katniss, Peeta and Gale during the events of the “Mockingjay.”
Peter Dinklage
Dinklage stars as Casca Highbottom, the creator of the Hunger Games, in "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes."
“Dean Highbottom is one of the most powerful people in Snow’s life. As the austere and vindictive face of the games, he sets the rules that will determine every aspect of Coriolanus’s fate. I’m thrilled that Peter will be bringing him to life,” director Francis Lawrence said in a statement last year.
Viola Davis
Davis plays Dr. Volumnia Gaul, the head gamemaker in “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.”
Fans of the original trilogy may remember that gamemakers are tasked with devising the obstacles tributes face in the Hunger Games arena, aiming to make them deadly yet entertaining to the bloodthirsty audience of the Capitol.
Davis' character is described as having a sing-song voice and a vicious streak, with has no qualms about killing people, even children.
