The Hunger Games prequel film, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, has found its young President Snow. Lionsgate announced on Monday that the studio has cast Tom Blyth as the young Coriolanus Snow in the highly anticipated prequel feature, based on the book of the same name by franchise author Suzanne Collins.
Blyth, who currently stars as the titular outlaw on EPIX’s Billy the Kid series, will play the future despot "years before he would become the tyrannical President of Panem."
In a press release about the casting, the studio described the character as such: "18-year-old Coriolanus Snow is the last hope for his fading lineage, a once-proud family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol. With the 10th annual Hunger Games fast approaching, the young Snow is alarmed when he is assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird, 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 who is a snake."
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes director Francis Lawrence noted in a statement, "Coriolanus Snow is many things – a survivor, a loyal friend, a cutthroat, a kid quick to fall in love, and a young man ambitious to his core. Tom’s take on the character showed us all the complex ambiguities of this young man as he transforms into the tyrant he would become."
"Tom’s performance will both fulfill and disrupt everything you think you know about Coriolanus Snow. He’s a tremendous talent who will show why Snow always lands on top," added producer Nina Jacobson.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is due in theaters on Nov. 17, 2023. See more on the franchise in the video below.
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