In theaters since Wednesday, “Hunger Games: The Ballad of the Serpent and the Songbird” marks the return of the famous dystopian saga. Discover five anecdotes about Francis Lawrence’s feature film.
What is it about ? Young Coriolanus is the last hope of his lineage, the once rich and proud Snow family now fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol. As the 10th HUNGER GAMES approaches, he is reluctantly assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird, a tribute from District 12, the poorest and most despised of Panem. The charm of Lucy Gray having captivated the public, Snow sees the opportunity to change her destiny, and will join forces with her to tip fate in their favor. Fighting against his instincts, torn between good and evil, Snow races against time to survive and discover whether he will ultimately become a songbird or a snake.
The Hunger Games saga
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of the Serpent and the Songbird is the fifth installment in the Hunger Games franchise, initiated in 2012 and the first four films of which were led by Jennifer Lawrence. The latter grossed $1.45 billion in North America and nearly $3 billion at the worldwide box office, and are an adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ literary trilogy which sold more than 100 million copies.
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Musical chairs
AnnaSophia Robb, Anya Taylor-Joy, Natalia Dyer, Maya Hawke, Sophie Turner, Evanna Lynch, Kaia Gerber, Sadie Sink, Elle Fanning, Sydney Sweeney, Florence Pugh, and Emma Watson were considered for the role of Tigris Snow, ultimately cast by Hunter Schafer. Cousin of Coriolanus Snow, this character was already present in The Hunger Games: Part 2, and was then played by Eugenie Bondurant.
Adaptation
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of the Serpent and the Songbird is based on the novel of the same name by Suzanne Collins, published in 2020. The novelist was still writing the book when she contacted director Francis Lawrence.
“Suzanne simply started by saying to me ‘I’m writing a book’. I was delighted to hear that because, just like countless fans of the saga, I thought it would be great to shoot a new opus exploring the world of The Hunger Games – and we always said that it had to come from Suzanne. The fact that it was her who called me, and that she wanted to take us back into this adventure of a great thematic richness, seemed irresistible to me”.
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A prequel dedicated to Katniss’ enemy
The film takes place 64 years before Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) volunteered as a Tribute. The feature film focuses on the origins of Coriolanus Snow, where, while still a student, he began his journey which would lead him to the presidency of Panem. This opus also explores a turning point in the reconstruction of Panem, after the war, and the consolidation of its authoritarian regime.
Producer Nina Jacobson specifies: “I really wanted to understand what pushes a character like Snow to embark on the path of an authoritarian regime. We are not born that way – we are influenced by several factors that shape our personality. I can understand that “A country moves toward authoritarian rule when citizens feel safer with a strong government.”
The director adds: “We had fun building this universe. The story takes place at the very beginning of the Hunger Games so that there are many things that the viewer discovered in the first films that do not yet exist at this stage. We deconstruct the Games and go back in time to see how they evolved. We show that the topography of the arena has changed, that the Capitol begins to influence the Games, and that the public of Panem begins to participate instead of “Just looking at them. It was artistically stimulating to move our characters into a less technologically advanced world and return to a more stripped-down environment.”
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The connections between the prequel and the rest of the franchise
There are several nods to previous films in the saga:
- During a climactic action scene, young Snow has a vision of a bow and arrows – Katniss Everdeen’s weapon of choice – which destabilizes him. This is an opportunity to get a glimpse of the future relationship between Snow and Katniss.
- The Hanging Treea song composed by Lucy Gray to challenge the power of the Capitol, will be performed, decades later, by Katniss at a pivotal moment in the story.
- Katniss, a plant with white flowers and small tubers at the roots, becomes the name of the heroine of the first films.
Discover our meeting with the cast of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of the Serpent and the Songbird, currently in cinemas: