The Hunger Games prequel gets its first trailer, revealing a young President Snow
The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes is set to be released on Nov 17.
The movie takes place 64 years before the events of the first Hunger Games film. (Photo: Lionsgate Movies)
"How did President Snow become so evil?"
That question is probably rattling in every fan's mind with the release of the first trailer for The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes – the prequel to the hit 2012 film starring Jennifer Lawrence.
Set 64 years before the events of the first Hunger Games film, this movie focuses on a young Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) – the man who will one day become the villainous ruler of Panem.
Joining him are Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), the female tribute from District 12 whom Snow mentors, and Tigris (Hunter Schafer), his cousin who eventually helps Jennifer Lawrence's character, Katniss Everdeen.
The trailer also gives us a glimpse of the new characters that would shape the future of the Hunger Games universe. These include Casca Highbottom (Peter Dinklage), the co-creator of the Hunger Games, and Dr Volumnia Gaul (Viola Davis), the villainous head game maker of the 10th Hunger Games.
"You hear that, boy? That's the sound of snow falling."
With Highbottom's ominous declaration, we see quick flashes of Snow's past – him growing closer to Baird and him shooting at the skies.
The trailer ends with a voice-over from the elder Snow: "It's the things we love most that destroy us" – teasing his eventual downfall.
The official synopsis is as follows: "The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes follows a young Coriolanus who is the last hope for his failing lineage, the once-proud Snow family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol.
"With his livelihood threatened, Snow is reluctantly assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird, a tribute from the impoverished District 12. But after Lucy Gray's charm captivates the audience of Panem, Snow sees an opportunity to shift their fates.
"With everything he has worked for hanging in the balance, Snow unites with Lucy Gray to turn the odds in their favour. Battling his instincts for both good and evil, Snow sets out on a race against time to survive and reveal if he will ultimately become a songbird or snake."
The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes is set to be released on Nov 17. It will be the fifth film of the Hunger Games franchise – which has grossed close to US$3 billion worldwide.
