The upcoming Hunger Games movie is going back in time to long before Katniss volunteered as tribute. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes follows another young tribute, Lucy Gray Baird. And she’s assigned a mentor familiar to us – Coriolanus Snow.

Snow serves as President during the main Hunger Games franchise. (In the movies, Donald Sutherland played the character.) But in Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Snow is only 18 years old. 

Today, Lionsgate revealed a first look at young Snow, played by Tom Blyth. He’s pictured with Lucy Gray (Rachel Zegler) below.

Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird and Tom Blyth as Coriolanus Snow in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Photo Credit: Murray Close

Here’s the official synopsis of the film:

Return to The Hunger Games, the landmark film franchise that has earned over $3 billion globally, with Lionsgate’s adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ #1 New York Times Bestseller The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Years before he would become the tyrannical President of Panem, 18-year-old Coriolanus 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.

With the 10th annual Hunger Games fast approaching, the young 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 Gray’s race against time to survive will ultimately reveal who is a songbird, and who is a snake.

In addition to Blyth and Zegler, the film also stars Peter Dinklage, Hunter Schafer, Josh Andrés Rivera, and Jason Schwartzman. Viola Davis was also recently announced as the head gamemaker in the movie, Dr. Volumnia Gaul.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes will release November 17, 2023.

So, what do you think of this first look at young Snow, pre-presidency? Let us know in the comments below.

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