Welcome back to Panem. The second full trailer for the highly anticipated Hunger Games prequel movie "The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" arrived on 20 Sept., and it brings into harsh relief the dilemma posed to young Coriolanus Snow, played by Tom Blyth. As a student in the Capitol, he's assigned to be one of the mentors in the 10th Hunger Games, and he's watched closely by Dr. Volumnia Gaul, the head Gamemaker for the 10th annual Hunger Games. Gual is brought to life by none other than Oscar winner Viola Davis, and she brings a menacing coldness to the trailer as she tries to guide and warn Coriolanus. He, meanwhile, has his hands full with his tribute, Lucy Gray Baird from District 12, played by Rachel Zegler. The trailer also features a new version of "The Hanging Tree", the protest song that played a major role in the original Hunger Games story. Lionsgate also released a new poster and new first-look images for the film.
The "The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" cast features some big names, including Peter Dinklage as Casca Highbottom, dean of Coriolanus's academy and coauthor of the Hunger Games. "Euphoria" star Hunter Schafer also stars in the film as Tigris Snow, Coriolanus's cousin and confidante who advises him on everything. On 6 Sept., Lionsgate released new character posters for the film that show off the cast. The first trailer for the film dropped back in April.
The forthcoming movie is based on Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins's prequel of the same name that was released in May 2020. The story's events take place 64 years before the original novels and films and only 10 years after Panem's first rebellion. While Katniss Everdeen's Panem is under harsh government control, this Panem is still grappling with the aftereffects of the war.
The original Hunger Games movies starred Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss, the unlikely and reluctant hero who becomes the symbol of a revolution. Lawrence was joined by Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Amandla Stenberg, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci, Lenny Kravitz, and "Daisy Jones and the Six" star Sam Claflin. Donald Sutherland played the menacing President Coriolanus Snow in the original films.
Read ahead for everything we know about "The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" so far, including the cast, trailer, release date, and more.