Viola Davis Announced as the Latest Addition to the Cast of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
There’s a new villain in town. Academy Award-winning actress Viola Davis has joined the cast of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, embodying the role of Dr. Volumnia Gaul, Panem’s head game maker.
On August 15, another stellar cast member joined the Lionsgate film, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Viola Davis (How To Get Away With Murder), will star alongside a stacked cast that includes Tom Blyth (The Gilded Age), Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones), Josh Andrés Rivera (West Side Story), Jason Schwartzman (Rushmore), Hunter Schafer (Euphoria), and Rachel Zegler (West Side Story).
The film will serve as a prequel to the original Hunger Games and its sequels. The synopsis states:
“Years before he would become the tyrannical President of Panem, 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow (Blyth), 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 (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.”
Davis boarding The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a power move. Nina Jacobson, a veteran producer, expresses, “From the beginning, Viola has been our dream for Dr. Gaul because of the finely layered intelligence and emotion she brings to every role. A brilliant and eccentric strategist, Gaul is instrumental in shaping a young Coriolanus Snow into the man he will become. We are incredibly fortunate to have an actor with Viola’s extraordinary range and presence to play this pivotal role.”
The actress is a massive talent and can be found in several films such as Fences, The Help, Suicide Squad, and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Her latest film, The Woman King, will be out in theaters on September 16.
Fans will have to wait a whole year before they can revisit Panem again as The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes won’t hit theaters until November 17, 2023. Until then, fans can watch the teaser trailer below.
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