Why We Are Excited About ‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’!

The highly anticipated prequel of ‘The Hunger Games’ is almost here! Here are some reasons why we are excited about the film!

The prequel is set to be released in theaters on November 17, 2023, and promises to delve more into The Hunger Games universe and answer some burning questions that we might have had from the first three films. There are also many parallels just by watching the trailer! Take a look at some of the reasons why we are excited to see this movie!

The All-Star Cast

The cast includes Golden Globe winner, Rachel Zegler who plays one of the leads, Lucy Gray Baird, a female tribute from District 12. Tom Blythe is the other lead who is set to play Coriolanus “Coryo” Snow, a mentor for the 10th Hunger Games and future President of Panem. Hunter Schafer is Tigris Snow, Snow’s older cousin and confidante. Emmy and Golden Globe winner, Peter Dinklage will be Casca “Cas” Highbottem who is the Dean of the Academy and author of The Hunger Games. EGOT winner, Viola Davis is playing Dr. Volumnia Gaul, the head game maker of the 10th Hunger Games. Finally, Jason Schwartzman will play Lucretius “Lucky” Flickerman, the first television host for this Hunger Games.

The Soundtrack

Grammy Award winner, Olivia Rodrigo released her song, “Can’t Catch Me Now” for the movie on November 3rd and it’s already doing well on the music charts!

The rest of the soundtrack drops on November 17th when the film comes out too! Another song that is sure to be played on repeat is “The Hanging Tree” sung by Rachel Zegler, it first appeared on the soundtrack for Mockingjay, Part 1. There are a total of 17 songs on this album!

Hunger Games Easter Eggs

This movie is a prequel to The Hunger Games, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be tons of easter eggs. Here are some that we’ve noticed already: Many Capitol residents’ names in this film are presumed ancestors of characters in the original trilogy, for example, Lucky Flickerman is most likely the father of Caeaser Flickerman, the Hunger Games presenter. Other names that might ring a bell are Heavensbee, Crane, Plutarch, and Cardew.

Some other easter eggs include the lake where Lucy takes Snow in District 12, it’s the same lake where Katniss Everdeen learned how to swim and hunt. This is also where Gale Hawthorne finds Peacekeeper rifles Snow hid many years ago. The origins of the song “The Hanging Tree” are revealed in this film which is a connection to the original lead. Keep your eyes peeled for other references like the Capitol and District 12 when the movie comes out!

Snow and Lucy’s Romantic Relationship

The prequel will show Snow and Lucy’s romantic relationship which is very significant as this will provide insight into why Snow is the way he is in the original Hunger Games movies. This also probably will answer the question of why he treated Katniss and Peeta harshly. It definitely will reveal the darker side of Snow and how craving power got in the way of his relationship.

Critics are already praising the movie and fans are even calling it “the best Hunger Games movie in the franchise.” Be sure to catch the film when it comes out worldwide on November 17th, you won’t want to miss it!