Viola Davis has joined the cast of The Hunger Games prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, it has been revealed. The upcoming science fiction action film, set to be released in 2023, will be the newest installment of the movie series, which previously starred Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen.
Viola Davis cast as The Hunger Games villain Dr. Volumnia Gaul
Academy Award-winning actress Viola Davis is set to portray Dr. Volumnia Gaul in The Hunger Games prequel, the head gamemaker of the 10th annual Hunger Games. Her character is the villain of the film, and Davis is no stranger to portraying movie franchise villains, having previously taken on the character of Amanda Waller in Suicide Squad.
She will be joining a cast that includes Tom Blyth as a young Coriolanus Snow, who serves as a mentor for the upcoming 10th Hunger Games. Rachel Zegler (West Side Story) will be portraying Lucy Gray Baird, a tribute from District 12, and Hunter Schafer (Euphoria) will appear as Tigris Snow, Coriolanus’s cousin and confidante. Other confirmed cast members include Peter Dinklage and Jason Schwartzman.
The film is set to be written by Michael Arndt, writer of films such as Toy Story 3, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. This prequel will be directed by Francis Lawrence, director of the latest four films in the Hunger Games series. The story follows Coriolanus Snow at 18 years old, decades before he became the tyrannical President of Panem. His family has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol, and he must mentor Lucy Gray, who captures the attention of Panem by singing defiantly during the reaping ceremony. With a strong premise and cast, the odds are in this series’ favor for another riveting return to Panem.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is set to release in theaters on November 17, 2023.
In other news, She-Hulk’s lead actress Tatiana Maslany recently spoke out against the “strong female lead” archetype. HBO also revealed new castings for its The Last of Us TV series.
