Josh Andrés Rivera Joins WEST SIDE STORY Co-Star Rachel Zegler in HUNGER GAMES Prequel Film

West Side Story star Josh Andrés Rivera has joined the cast of the Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Rivera will join his West Side Story co-star Rachel Zegler in the new film, based on Suzanne Collins' #1 New York Times bestseller. Zegler will star as the female lead in the film opposite Tom Blyth, who will play the young Coriolanus Snow. Rivera will play 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 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.

Josh Andrés Rivera was seen as Chino in Steven Spielberg's recent film adaption of West Side Story. He was previously seen in the ensemble in the national tour of Hamilton.