Hunger Games fans had the odds in their favor today as they got a first look at the cast of the prequel film The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Tom Blyth will play the ruthless and cunning 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow, who has taken on the role of a mentor for the 10th Hunger Games. Lionsgate also released a new synopsis for the film based on the novel by Suzanne Collins.
“Years before he would become the tyrannical President of Panem, 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow is the last hope for his fading lineage, a once-proud family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol. With the 10th annual Hunger Games fast approaching, the young Snow is alarmed when he is assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird, the girl tribute from impoverished District 12. But, after Lucy Gray commands all of Panem’s attention by defiantly singing during the reaping ceremony, Snow thinks he might be able to turn the odds in their favor. Uniting their instincts for showmanship and newfound political savvy, Snow and Lucy’s race against time to survive will ultimately reveal who is a songbird, and who is a snake.”
Blyth is an up-and-coming actor who is most recently known for his role as Billy the Kid in the Epix series Billy The Kid. He also had a guest role as Archie Baldwin in The Gilded Age.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is set to be released in theaters on November 17, 2023, and is directed by Francis Lawrence, who helmed three of the previous Hunger Games films.