Viola Davis Will Join Rachel Zegler in HUNGER GAMES Prequel Film

Viola Davis has joined the cast of the upcoming Hunger Games prequel film as the story's villain, Dr. Volumnia Gaul, who is the head gamemaker of the 10th annual Hunger Games.

The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Davis will join Rachel Zegler, Peter Dinklage, Hunter Schafer, Josh Andres Rivera, and more in the new film.

As previously announced, the film is an adaptation of Suzanne Collins' #1 New York Times bestseller. West Side Story star Rachel Zegler will star as the female lead in the film opposite Tom Blyth, who will play the young Coriolanus Snow.

Zegler will also be joined by her West Side Story co-star Josh Andres Rivera in the new film as Sejanus Plinth, the District 2 mentor and a close friend of young Snow.

The studio recently announced that moviegoers will return to The Hunger Games, the landmark film franchise that has earned over $3 billion globally, as The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes debuts in theaters worldwide on November 17, 2023.

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, 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 film will be directed by Francis Lawrence, who previously directed the franchise's Catching Fire, Mockingjay Part One, and Mockingjay Part Two. It will be shepherded by franchise producer Nina Jacobson and her producing partner Brad Simpson, along with Francis Lawrence. Suzanne Collins, Tim Palen, and Jim Miller will serve as executive producers.

The latest draft of the screenplay is by Michael Lesslie (Macbeth, starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard, andAssassin's Creed). Lesslie builds on the work of writers Suzanne Collins and Michael Arndt (the Oscar®-winning screenwriter ofLittle Miss Sunshine, as well as serving as one of the writers ofCatching Fire). The screenplay is based on Collins' bestselling novel. Meredith Wieck and Scott O'Brien are overseeing on behalf of the studio.

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