As pre-production work proceeds on the Hunger Games prequel The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes, more casting is naturally happening. The latest addition is Euphoria's Hunter Schafer.
With franchise stalwart Francis Lawrence back directing from a script by Michael Lesslie, the film is set years before the Games movies, and focuses partly on a younger Coriolanus Snow – later to be the tyrannical president of Panem. Here, 18-year-old Snow (Tom Blyth), is the last hope for his fading lineage, a once-proud family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol.
As the 10th annual Hunger Games approaches, Snow is alarmed when he is assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), 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 a snake...
Schafer is aboard to play Tigris Snow, Coriolanus’ cousin and confidante, who advises him in everything — from his role as mentor to the core of his moral compass.
Her casting comes on the heels of the latest batch of recruits, which included Nick Benson, Laurel Marsden, Lilly Cooper, Luna Steeples and Hiroki Berrecloth. Benson will play Jessup, the tribute from District 12 alongside Zegler’s Baird; Marsden will play will play Mayfair Lipp, who places Baird’s name into contention for the tenth Hunger Games; Cooper will play Arachne Crane, mentor to a tribute from District 10; Steeples will play Dill, tribute from District 11, and Berrecloth will play Treech, tribute from District 7.
The movie is taking aim at a 17 November, 2023 release date.