TV & Movies

Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes cast: All actors & characters

Lucy-Jo Finnighan
Tigris and Snow in Ballad of Songbirds & SnakesLionsgate

The Hunger Games prequel, Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, introduces us to a ton of new Panem citizens – Here’s the characters you need to know.

It’s been almost a decade since The Hunger Games movies ended. Set in a world in which children are forced to fight each other to the death in an arena created by the oppressive Capitol society, the original dystopian series proved to be a commercial and critical success.

The franchise expanded in 2020 when author Suzanne Collins released a prequel novel. Titled The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, this new book focused on the early life of the original books’ villain, President Snow, along with a bunch of new characters.

Now that the book is getting it’s own movie adaptation, which is coming out this week, it may be good to read up on who these new cast members will be.

Contents

The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes cast & characters

The synopsis of the Hunger Games prequel is as follows: “Years before he becomes the tyrannical president of Panem, 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow remains the last hope for his fading lineage. With the 10th annual Hunger Games fast approaching, the young Snow becomes alarmed when he’s assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird from District 12. Uniting their instincts for showmanship and political savvy, they race against time to ultimately reveal who’s a songbird and who’s a snake.”

Since this is an adaptation of a book, naturally Suzanne Collin’s writing set the precedent for the cast. But as said by producer Nina Jacobson in an interview with us, “I think we felt pretty liberated as far as the book descriptions, as long as we got the character’s intentions true to the book, their essence stayed true to the book.”

The cast list for this movie is packed, so for now we will be getting you up to speed on the main names that you need to know. Keep reading to find out who we’ll be meeting when the movie premieres.

Coriolanus Snow: Tom Blyth

Tom Blythe in The Ballad of Songbirds and SnakesLionsgate

Coriolanus Snow is both the hero and the villain of this story, as it details his life before he became the ruthless President of the original series. Here he appears more sympathetic, as he attempts to raise his family up from poverty and save his tribute from certain death.

Snow is portrayed by Tom Blyth, who also appears in The Gilded Age and Billy the Kid.

Lucy Gray Baird: Rachel Zegler

Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & SnakesLionsgate

Lucy Gray is a very different tribute from Katniss, in that she isn’t so much a warrior, but a performer. She is able to sway people to her side through her good natured charm and kind heart, but she’s also a lot smarter and tougher than people give her credit for.

Rachel Zegler plays Lucy Gray, and is also seen in West Side Story and Shazam: Fury of the Gods, along with the upcoming Snow White live-action movie.

Sejanus Plinth: Josh Andrés Rivera

Sejanus in Hunger Games ballad of songbirds and snakesLionsgate

Seajanus, whose family is originally from District 2, is arguably the most moral of all our Capitol characters, but in a world of snakes his openness about his distaste for the Capitol puts him in a lot of trouble, to the point that Snow resents being friends with him.

Josh Andrés Rivera plays this character, and he also has roles in West Side Story and Cat Person.

Volumnia Gaul: Viola Davis

Viola Davis as Dr Volumnia Gaul in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.Lionsgate

Dr Gaul is the scariest figure of this whole story, as she is the current Head Gamemaker of the Hunger Games. She revels in inhuman experimentation and the suffering of the tributes, and wants to make the Games into the spectacle they are considered to be by the time Katniss becomes a tribute.

Gaul is played by the renowned Viola Davis, known best for her appearances in Fences, How to Get Away with Murder, Suicide Squad, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, The Help, and The Woman King.

Casca Highbottom: Peter Dinklage

Peter Dinklage as Casca Highbottom in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.Lionsgate

Casca Highbottom is the Dean of Snow’s education, and is somewhat of an antagonist to our protagonist. He bares a hatred of the Snow family for personal reasons, and has since grown tired with the Games despite being the one to come up with the idea.

Peter Dinklage, who plays Highbottom, is best known for his part in Game of Thrones, along with Cyrano, Pixels, and Elf.

Tigris Snow: Hunter Schafer

Hunter Schafer as Tigris Snow in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.Lionsgate

In Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, Tigris is Coriolanus’ cousin, who lives with him and their grandmother in the Capitol. She is as talented in sewing as she is compassionate, as she bares far more sympathy for the Districts and tributes than many other Capitol citizens.

Tigris is played by Hunter Scahfer, who also stars in hit HBO show Euphoria.

Lucretius “Lucky” Flickerman: Jason Schwartzman

Jason Schwartzman as Lucretius 'Lucky' Flickerman in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and SnakesLionsgate

Lucy Flickerman, an ancestor of Caesar Flickerman, is the first host of the Hunger Games, after spending time as a weatherman and magician. He performs well to the camera, but this makes him detached from real human emotion, seeing the tributes as mere spectacles rather than people.

Lucky is played by Jason Schwartzman, as seen and heard in Scott Pilgrim vs the World, Fantastic Mr Fox, Asteroid City, and Across the Spider-Verse.

Jessup Diggs: Nick Benson

Jessup and Lucy in Hunger GamesLionsgate

Jessup is Lucy Gray’s fellow District 12 tribute and ally. Despite being a front runner to win the games, Jessup is a kind and dutiful person, even protecting Lucy Gray from rodents so that she can get some sleep before they are sent into the arena.

Jessup is played by Nick Benson, who also appears in Boo, Bitch.

Clemensia Dovecote: Ashley Liao

Snake scene still in Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds & SnakesLionsgate

Clemensia is Snow’s partner at the academy, and a fellow tribute mentor for the 10th annual Hunger Games, though she often tries to profit off of Snow’s intelligence and work ethic. This backfires however in one iconic snake scene.

Clemensia is played by Ashley Liao, also seen in Fuller House, Always be my Maybe, and Secret Society of Second-Born Royals.

Coral: Mackenzie Lansing

Coral in Ballads of Songbirds & SnakesLionsgate

Coral is the female tribute from District 4, and it’s clear from the beginning that she’s determined to win the games. She is ruthless with her trident, and the group that she leads turns out to be the biggest obstacle for Lucy Gray.

Coral is played by Mackenzie Lansing, who has roles in Mare of Easttown and The Creator.

Reaper Ash: Dimitri Abold

Reaper in Ballad of Songbirds and SnakesLionsgate

Reaper Ash is the male tribute for District 11 in Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, but is one of the tributes who refuses to let the Games change him. He treats his fellow tributes with compassion and respect, and shows clear hatred towards the Capitol.

Reaper is played by Dimitri Abold, who also appears in Warrior Nun and Love Addicts.

Other cast & characters in Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes

The Hunger Games in Ballad of Songbirds and SnakesLionsgate

Book fans may note that some characters in the book won’t actually make an appearance in the movie, though we won’t spoil who here. However, there’s plenty of cast members to make up for that. So other notable characters in the movie include:

Capitol

  • Grandma’am: Fionnula Flanagan
  • Arachne Crane: Lilly Cooper
  • Lysistrata Vickers: Zoe Renee
  • Festus Creed: Max Raphael
  • Felix Ravinstill: Aamer Husain
  • Pliny “Pup” Harrington: Ayomide Adegun
  • Domita Whimsiwick: Kaitlyn Akinpelumi
  • Vipsania Sickle: Amélie Hoeferle

Tributes

  • Marcus from District 2: Jerome Lance
  • Mizzen from District 4: Cooper Dillon
  • Treech from District 7: Hiroki Berrecloth
  • Lamina from District 7: Irene Boehm
  • Wovey from District 8: Sofia Sanchez
  • Tanner from District 10: Kjell Brutscheidt
  • Brandy from District 10: Luna Kuse
  • Dill from District 11: Luna Steeples

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is in cinemas 17 November. Read more about the movie below:

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