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Hunger Games Prequel Movies Casts Viola Davis as the Villain
Hunger Games prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes officially finds its villain in acclaimed actress Viola Davis. The prequel film is an adaptation of Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins' 2020 novel of the same name and comes after four franchise films - The Hunger Games, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2. The original films follow Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen as she participates in the barbaric Hunger Games and eventually takes the whole corrupt system down. The main antagonist of the original series of films is President Coriolanus Snow, who upholds this oppressive and brutal tradition. The prequel films will follow a young, not-yet-tyrannical Snow as he mentors and falls for Lucy Gray Baird, a tribute from District 12.
Including Snow, a few faces from the original series will return in the prequel film, such as resistance sympathizer Tigris. Frances Lawrence, who previously helmed Catching Fire and both Mockingjay films, is set to direct the prequel, which boats a star-studded cast. While The Hunger Games launched Jennifer Lawrence to stardom, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes will feature many well-known and beloved actors, including Tom Blyth as Snow alongside Rachel Zegler (Baird), Peter Dinklage, Hunter Schafer, and others.
Now, Lionsgate has announced that another acclaimed star has joined the prequel cast - Viola Davis as gamemaker Volumnia Gaul. Nathan Kahane, president of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, had this to say about Davis' casting:
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"The Hunger Games films have always been elevated by their exceptional casting, and we are thrilled to be continuing that tradition with Viola Davis as Volumnia Gaul. Her formidable and powerful presence will add layers of complexity and menace to this story."
Gaul serves as the head gamemaker for the 10th annual Hunger Games, in which Snow's mentee Lucy Gray Baird participates. Davis's character in the novel is an energetic and calculating sadist who contributes to Snow becoming the cruel man seen in The Hunger Games films. The layered character's self-justifying mentality that even the most innocent of human beings is still capable of murder fuels her bloodthirsty creation of the 10th annual games, and she commands respect from the film's protagonist, Snow. As an Oscar, Emmy, and Tony award-winning actress, Davis—whose new film, The Woman King is set for a September release—will undoubtedly play the nuanced role to perfection.
In the original Hunger Games films, head gamemaker Seneca Crane (Wes Bentley), though certainly sadistic and twisted, shows sympathy for Katniss and Peeta and lets them both win rather than commit suicide, which results in Crane's death on Snow's orders. His successor, Plutarch Heavensbee, portrayed by late Oscar-winner Philip Seymour Hoffman, wins over audiences due to his secret affiliation with the resistance and eventually joins rebel District 13. Previous predictions placed veteran actresses Rhea Perlman and Helena Bonham Carter in the gamemaker role for Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Davis, who recently portrayed Peacemaker's Amanda Waller, will bring an appropriate cold-bloodedness to the part. With the fascinating portrayals of gamemakers so far in the Hunger Games films, it's exciting that Davis has been cast to tell Gaul's story. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is set to release on November 17th, 2023, and audiences will be able to see for themselves what Davis brings to the rich role of gamemaker.
