Viola Davis is set to star in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. The Academy Award-winning actress will portray Dr. Volumnia Gaul, the head gamemaker of the 10th annual Hunger Games.
Alongside Davis, the cast for this popular film franchise prequel will feature Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Jason Schwartzman, Peter Dinklage, Josh Andrés Rivera, and Hunter Schafer.
“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,” Lionsgate Motion Picture Group President Nathan Kahane said in a Deadline report. “Her formidable and powerful presence will add layers of complexity and menace to this story.”
Francis Lawrence will direct the film, as well as serve as producer alongside Brad Simpson and Nina Jacobson. Suzanne Collins – author of The Hunger Games – will executive produce with Tim Palen.
“Dr. Gaul is as cruel as she is creative and as fearsome as she is formidable,” Lawrence said. “Snow’s savvy as a political operator develops in no small part due to his experiences with her as the games’ most commanding figure.”
Davis, who is represented by CAA, Lasher Group and Lichter, Grossman, Nichols, will star in the forthcoming film The Woman King, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes premieres in theaters globally on November 17, 2023.