Actor Rachel Zegler (Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story) has been cast as the female lead in the next chapter in the Hunger Games movie franchise, a prequel titled Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. The film is expected to come to theaters on November 17, 2023.
According to a release announcing this casting information, Zegler will portray Lucy Gray Baird. She joins the recently announced Tom Blyth, who plays the young Coriolanus Snow–the role previously portrayed by Donald Sutherland in the original trilogy.
“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 director Francis Lawrence. “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.”
A synopsis for the film reads: “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.”
At this relatively early date for the film still in pre-production, no announcements have been made about who will star. However, writers for the film include creator Suzanne Collins (expected to write a treatment), plus Michael Arndt (Star Wars: Episode VII: The Force Awakens, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire) and Michael Lesslie (Assassin’s Creed) working to adapt her story. The film will be directed by franchise veteran Lawrence, who will also co-produce alongside fellow franchise veterans Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson.
