The Hunger Games prequel introduces a very different version of Snow: "You see him break bad"
Oct. 8, 2023Exclusive: We speak to director Francis Lawrence about The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
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The Hunger Games prequel movie The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes promises a very different version of Coriolanus Snow than we’ve met before.
“We start in a very different place with Snow,” director Francis Lawrence tellsTotal Film magazinein the new issue, which hits newsstands on Thursday, October 12. “We see a young man who’s struggling, and who’s part of a family that’s lost their fortune. He’s putting on an act that he still has money, still has status. He also starts in a much more positive place than you would imagine. It’s part of what’s fun about the story, that you see him break bad.”
The new prequel takes place 64 years before The Hunger Games as we meet an 18-year-old Snow (Tom Blyth) as he’s assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler) for the 10th annual Hunger Games.
The future tyrannical president is initially alarmed, given that Lucy is a tribute from impoverished District 12. But when she defiantly sings during the reaping ceremony, he spies an opportunity to turn the odds in their favour – her by surviving the deadly combat, and him by growing the Games from their grubby gladiatorial roots into a show-stopping event full of theatre and spectacle.
You can see an exclusive image from the new movie above, featuring Zegler as Lucy.
The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes opens in cinemas on November 17. For much more on the film, check out the new issue of Total Film when it hits shelves and digital newsstands on Thursday, October 12. Check out the covers below:
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Jamie Graham is the Editor-at-Large of Total Film magazine. You’ll likely find them around these parts reviewing the biggest films on the planet and speaking to some of the biggest stars in the business – that’s just what Jamie does. Jamie has also written for outlets like SFX and the Sunday Times Culture, and appeared on podcasts exploring the wondrous worlds of occult and horror.
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