Move over, Jennifer Lawrence: the “Hunger Games” films have a new star. With a movie version of the series prequel, “The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes,” set for a November 2023 release date, Lionsgate has that film’s female lead. And it’s a great fit. Variety reports that Rachel Zegler, who recently wow-ed audiences as Maria in Steven Spielberg’s remake of “A West Side Story,” will star as Lucy Gray Baird, the prequel’s heroine.
It’s not as if Zegler replaces Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen in the new film. “Songbirds And Snakes’ takes place 64 years before Everdeen even enters the televised murder tournament from which the series gets its name. And the prequel isn’t even Zegler’s story either. Instead, it’s an origin story of the villainous tyrant President Coriolanus Snow, played by Donald Sutherland in the first four “Hunger Games” films.
Based on Suzanne Collins’ 2020 novel of the same name, the new movie follows an 18-year-old Snow as he becomes a mentor in the 10th annual Hunger Games for political glory. His mentee? Lucy Gray Baird, a tribute from the country’s most impoverished area, District 12, who turns out to be more promising as a victor of the Games than Snow initially thinks.
Here’s an official synopsis of “Songbirds And Snakes” from The Hollywood Reporter:
In this return to ‘The Hunger Games,’ years before he would become the tyrannical President of Panem, 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow sees a chance for a change in fortunes when he is chosen to be a mentor to Lucy Gray Baird, the girl tribute from impoverished District 12.”
Zegler joins Tom Blyth, who plays President Snow in the film, as the only announced cast member so far. In the novel, Lucy Gray surprises everyone at the Games when she sings during the reaping ceremony, leading Snow to believe he may groom her to win the tournament. No surprise that Lionsgate chose Zegler for the role, as “West Side Story” shows she has the vocal talent to dominate this part.
Francis Lawrence returns to direct “Songbirds And Snakes” after directing the previous four “Hunger Games” films for Lionsgate. Michael Arndt, who won an Oscar for his screenplay for “Little Miss Sunshine,” returns to the series to co-write the script after he wrote 2013’s “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.” He’s joined by “Assassin’s Creed” screenwriter Michael Lesslie. Franchise producer Nina Jacobson also returns to co-produce with Lawrence and Brad Simpson.
“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,” said Lawrence about casting Zegler. “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” doesn’t come out until November 17, 2023, but catch Zegler next in “Shazam! Fury Of The Gods,” out this December. She’s also filming a live-action remake of “Snow White” for Disney now as Snow White, with Gal Gadot as the evil queen Grimhilde.