Peter Dinklage Joins THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES
Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones, Cyrano) has joined the cast of The Hunger Games prequel film, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. He will take on the role of Casca Highbottom in the series and star opposite Tom Blyth as young Coriolanus Snow, Rachel Zegler as tribute Lucy Gray Baird and Hunter Schafer as Tigris Snow.
Nathan Kahane, president of Lionsgate’s Motion Picture Group, said in a statement: “With production underway, we couldn’t be more excited about the way this cast has come together and thrilled to be welcoming Peter Dinklage to Panem. Peter is not just a fan favorite actor who brings a commanding presence to every part he plays. He is one of the best actors alive. He will bring a formidable, charismatic authority to the important role of the dean of the Academy.”
The film is based on Suzanne Collins’ 2020 book and the story takes place decades before Katniss Everdeen’s adventures and it centers on a young 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow, an ambitious boy who eventually becomes the tyrannical leader of the dystopian country of Panem. Tom Blyth (Billy the Kid and The Gilded Age) will play Snow.
In the story, the young Snow sees a chance for a change in fortunes when he is chosen to be mentor to Lucy Gray Baird, the girl tribute from impoverished District 12, during the 10th Hunger Games. “The unassuming Lucy Gray sparks everyone’s attention by singing during the reaping ceremony. With her talent and charm, Snow believes he may be able to turn the odds in their favor to win the games.”
The movie is being directed by Francis Lawrence, who previously directed the franchise’s Catching Fire, Mockingjay Part One and Mockingjay Part Two. The director talked about Dinklage’s character, saying: “Dean Highbottom is one of the most powerful people in Snow’s life. As the austere and vindictive face of the games, he sets the rules that will determine every aspect of Coriolanus’s fate. I’m thrilled that Peter will be bringing him to life.”
Franchise producer Nina Jacobson added: “I cannot think of an actor more perfectly suited to inhabit the role of Highbottom. As the man credited with conceiving the Hunger Games and the Dean of the Academy, Casca Highbottom is a character with secrets. Peter’s magnetism, intensity and dark humor will infuse him with the intelligence, depth and pathos that the role demands.”
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes hits theaters worldwide on November 17th, 2023
Source: Variety