We may earn a commission when you buy through links in our articles. Learn more.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes cast, trailer, plot, reviews, news

We're delving back into the The Hunger Games for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes release date. May the odds be ever in your favor.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes release date

Who is in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes cast and what else do you need to know about the new movie?

The first of the four original The Hunger Games movies came out a decade ago, with sequels arriving each year until 2015. Now though, it’s a dictator’s origin story that forms the first of what might be several new movies. So, we’ve volunteered as Tribute to bring you all of the info you need on who’s in the film and if it stands among the best movies in this franchise.

Who’s in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes cast?

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes cast is led by Tom Blyth, who plays the young Coriolanus “Coryo” Snow alongside Rachel Zegler in the role of Lucy Gray Baird.

Blyth has most recently appeared in the TV series The Gilded Age, while Zegler was the star of one of the best Steven Spielberg movies in years, West Side Story. She is also set to play one of the best Disney Princesses, Snow White, in a live-action remake, and previously starred as Anthea in Shazam 2 in 2023.

Euphoria’s Hunter Schafer plays Tigris Snow, Coryo’s cousin, while Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage is Casca Highbottom, the creator of the Hunger Games. Viola Davis, meanwhile, is Dr Volumnia Gaul, Head Gamemaker.

Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes release date - Coriolanus Snow

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes cast list: 

  • Tom Blyth as Coriolanus “Coryo” Snow
  • Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird
  • Peter Dinklage as Casca Highbottom
  • Hunter Schafer as Tigris Snow
  • Josh Andrés Rivera as Sejanus Plinth
  • Jason Schwartzman as Lucretius “Lucky” Flickerman
  • Viola Davis as Dr. Volumnia Gaul
  • Burn Gorman as Commander Hoff
  • Fionnula Flanagan as Grandma’am
  • Ashley Liao as Clemensia Dovecote
  • Luke Halpenny as Festus Creed
  • Cooper Dillon as Mizzen
  • Zoe Renée as Lysistrata Vickers
  • Nick Benson as Jessup
  • Isobel Jesper Jones as Mayfair Lipp
  • Dakota Shapiro as Billy Taupe

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes reviews and release date

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes was released on Friday, November 17, 2023, and was met with positive reviews.

In our own Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes review, we praised the film for its excellent action and character-driven storytelling, as well as its ability to feel both nostalgic and fresh. Yes, we think it’s one of the best Hunger Games movies.

Not all critics have been quite as impressed as us though, and the film currently holds a middling critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, though it boasts a score of over among audiences. Not too bad.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes release date: Tom Blyth as Coriolanus Snow and Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird in the Hunger Games spin-off movie

What is The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes about?

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes plot adapts the novel of the same name, set 64 years before the events of the first The Hunger Games movie, following Coriolanus Snow’s early experiences with the games.

This version of Snow is a far cry from the ruthless dictator we see in the warring environment of The Hunger Games movies. Though he originally comes from a rich and powerful family, Snow is an orphan in this story and now lives in poverty with his grandmother.

Coriolanus (or Coryo as he is called in the book) is assigned to mentor a young tribute called Lucy Gray Baird for the upcoming tenth annual Hunger Games. As the pair bond, their relationship blossoms into a romantic connection, which proves problematic given their social standing.

As the games become more and more violent and Coryo’s role in their new format develops, young Snow has a choice to make — will he choose love or power? Well, we kind of know the answer to that already, but that’s the central dilemma of the new movie.

YouTube Thumbnail

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes trailer

The first trailer for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes was released on April 27, 2023, and we were treated to another on September 20.

The first exciting trailer teased how the games evolved from a punishment into an exciting spectacle and gave us our first proper look at Blyth and Zegler as Lucy and Coriolanus, respectively.

The second was quite a bit more intense, revealing some action and featuring Rachel Zegler’s version of The Hanging Tree (the song from Mockingjay Part 1’s best scene).

YouTube Thumbnail

Where can I watch The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes?

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is available to watch now exclusively on the big screen following its November 17, 2023 release

In case you don’t remember, theaters were filled to the brim with literary teens when The Hunger Games first arrived, and so far the strong box office performance hints that history is repeating itself now.

Regardless of how the film performs, it’s worth seeing this on the big screen before it ultimately hits one of the best streaming services in 2024.

Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes release date - Viola Davis

Has the return to Panem left you wanting more? You can also see Jennifer Lawrence explain how Hunger Games changed action movies and read our feature that aims to explore The Hunger Games Renaissance.

We’ve also got everything you need to know about other 2023 movies on the way, including Dune 2, the Wonka release date, and the Saw X release date.