The cast of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes keeps growing, with more stars signing up alongside prequel leads Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes takes place about 10 years after the war that created the Panem of the Hunger Games lore. The upcoming film adaptation is expected to differ from the original movies quite significantly, as the games will be viewed from an entirely new perspective during a time period that is considered to be "less glitzy."
The story takes place around the 10th annual Hunger Games when a young Coriolanus Snow is chosen to mentor District 12 tribute, Lucy Gray Baird. According to the official synopsis, the duo will try to turn the odds in their favor by uniting "their instincts for showmanship and newfound political savvy" in a race against time to survive.
Francis Lawrence, who helmed Catching Fire, Mockingjay Part 1, and Mockingjay Part 2, is returning to the franchise to direct and produce the prequel from a screenplay by Assassin's Creed writer Michael Lesslie. Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson are also on board as producers, with Tim Palen and author Suzanne Collins as executive producers.
Keep reading for a rundown of who's in The Hunger Games prequel cast — and don't forget to bookmark the page, as we'll be updating this article with all-new casting announcements.
Tom Blyth as Young Coriolanus Snow
Tom Blyth was the first cast member to be announced for Lionsgate's adaptation of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, the prequel novel to the Hunger Games series. He will portray a young Coriolanus Snow long before he served as the brutal and conniving President of Panem, as played by Donald Sutherland in the previous movies.
Blyth is a rising talent who is well-known for his role as the titular outlaw of the Epix series Billy the Kid. He also had a guest role playing Archie Baldwin on one episode of HBO's The Gilded Age and was cast as Glen Byam Shaw in the 2021 biographical drama film Benediction, which chronicled the life of celebrated war poet Siegfried Sassoon.
Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird
Rachel Zegler has been cast as Lucy Gray Baird, the female tribute from the impoverished District 12 who is mentored by Coriolanus Snow for the 10th annual Hunger Games. She is a pivotal character in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes novel, which chronicles the rise of the villainous Snow before he eventually becomes the President of Panem.
Zegler made her film debut in 2021, playing Maria Vasquez in Steven Spielberg's feature-length adaptation of West Side Story. She is next set to appear in Shazam! Fury of the Gods alongside Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu, though she's also whistling while she works on the set of Disney's live-action Snow White that has Mark Webb in the director's chair.
Hunter Schafer as Tigris Snow
Hunter Schafer has joined the cast of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes movie opposite Blyth and Zegler. According to Deadline, she will play Tigris Snow, the cousin and confidante of Coriolanus Snow. She acts as one of his trusted advisors in the early years, guiding him on everything from "his role as mentor to the core of his moral compass."
Schafer made her acting debut in 2019, portraying Jules Vaughn in HBO's Euphoria. She continued in that role for a second season while also co-writing and co-executive producing a special episode for the critically acclaimed series. She's currently in front of the camera again filming Cuckoo, an upcoming horror movie from director Tilman Singer.
Laurel Marsden as Mayfair Lipp
Lionsgate has also announced that Laurel Marsden is in the ensemble cast of the prequel movie, per Deadline. She will be playing a character named Mayfair Lipp, who is responsible for placing Lucy Gray Baird's name into contention for the 10th deadly Hunger Games, acting as a catalyst to the events that follow for the District 12 tribute.
Marsden recently made the jump into the MCU playing Zoe Zimmer in the Disney+ series Ms. Marvel, and she has just wrapped filming on the horror-thriller film All Fun and Games. Before that, she starred alongside Sophie Turner and Corey Hawkins in Quibi's Survive, which just about made it onto our recommended watch list for the streaming platform.
Jason Schwartzman as Lucretius "Lucky" Flickerman
Lionsgate announced in June that Jason Schwartzman had become the latest addition to the cast of the upcoming Hunger Games prequel. He will be portraying Lucretius "Lucky" Flickerman, the host of the 10th Hunger Games and ancestor to Caesar Flickerman, who was memorably portrayed by Stanley Tucci in the original series of films.
Schwartzman is a frequent collaborator with Wes Anderson, having made his film debut in the 1998 film Rushmore before appearing in six more movies helmed by the director. He will next be seen in Anderson's Asteroid City, opposite Tilda Swinton, Bill Murray, Tom Hanks, Margot Robbie, Jeff Goldblum, Scarlett Johansson, and many more.
Other Tributes
The first round of cast announcements for tributes appearing in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes came by way of Deadline. The list featured Jerome Lance as Marcus from District 2, Knox Gibson as Bobbin from District 8, and Mackenzie Lansing as Coral from District 4.
Nick Benson later joined the line-up playing Jessup, another tribute from District 12 alongside Zegler's Lucy Gray Baird. Luna Steeples is also in the mix, starring as Dill from District 11, while Hiroki Berrecloth is said to be portraying Treech from District 7.
Other Mentors
On the mentoring side of things, Ashley Liao is stepping up to play Clemensia Dovecote, one of Snow's closest friends who will mentor a District 11 tribute. She is appearing in the movie alongside Aamer Husain as Felix Ravinstill, a fellow mentor to a District 11 tribute.
Lilly Cooper has also been named as a mentor. She will be playing a character called Arachne Crane who will act as a guide to a tribute from District 10 in the Hunger Games, together with Josh Andrés Rivera as Sejanus Plinth, who will work with a tribute from District 2.
The Hunger Games franchise is slated to return to the big screen in November 2023. Keep checking back here for all the latest casting updates for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.