News
All the latest news about the movie adaptation of
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
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New stills of Sejanus Plinth, Lucky Flickerman and Lucy Gray Baird on Nerdist.Com -
Meet the Tributes of the 10th Hunger Games in New Images on Collider -
Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler and Josh Andres Rivera LIVE on Good Morning America -
New Behind The Scenes videos of Hunter Schafer and Viola Davis on set -
New Coriolanus x Sejanus Ad-Teaser for The Ballad Songbirds & Snakes
Media & Interview
- 09/25/2023
- The Mockingjay's Nest
Exclusive new magazine cover, stills and interviews on entertainment Weekly
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes takes the spotlight in the November issue of Entertainment Weekly for their “Fall Movie Preview 2023.” To mark the occasion, a stunning cover has been unveiled, along with an article featuring seven exclusive new film stills and interviews with Francis Lawrence, Nina Jacobson, as well as a video interview with the lead actors of the cast.
Cover
The stunning animated magazine cover, now exclusively available in digital format, depicts Coriolanus Snow and Lucy Gray Baird in a snowy scene, standing before an arena with white roses scattered on the ground. In this cold atmosphere, Coriolanus is seated on a throne next to Lucy Gray, who stands with her arms crossed.
Coriolanus Snow’s posture in this throne evoke a distinct similarity to the famous poster of President Snow from The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, as illustrated in this comparison:
The Khimaira studio, which handled the the Shot Design & VFX of the magazine cover, has shared behind-the-scenes glimpses of its creation on Instagram.
Exclusive new stills
The Entertainment Weekly article is accompanied by 7 exclusive new film stills, offering a first look at new characters, looks, and locations.
First look at Grandma’am, offering a rose to Coriolanus alongside Tigris, wearing an entirely unseen outfit. The Snow family appears to be in their Corso apartment.
Dr. Volumnia Gaul and Dean Casca Highbottom at the Academy.
Lucky Flickerman introducing the games.
Pictures of Lucy Gray Baird at the reaping and Coriolanus Snow in Dr. Volumnia Gaul’s laboratory, both extracted from the trailer.
Coriolanus Snow and Lucy Gray Baird in the woods near District 12.
Exclusive interview with the cast
The magazine has shared an exclusive video featuring interviews with Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Hunter Schafer, Peter Dinklage, Josh Andres Rivera, and Jason Schwartzman discussing the film.
interview of francis lawrence and Nina jacobson
Not yet fully corrupted by the world in which he lives, Coriolanus, like most young people, is still figuring out his life’s path when BOSS begins. The student’s virtues are shaped by those in his orbit, including Tigris, his closest confidant. She’s certainly not the prized Capitol stylist we meet in Mockingjay Part 2 (brought to life in that film by Eugenie Bondurant). In the prequel, “she’s trying to draw [her cousin] into goodness and keep him in goodness,” Lawrence says of the character, now played by Schafer, 24, with an “endearing authenticity.” (Though a number of actors read for the part, they were channeling Elizabeth Banks‘ Effie Trinket more than Tigris, putting on a “Capitol effect” that just felt “so phony,” he laments.) Then there’s Sejanus, Coriolanus’ pal and a former district citizen who finds himself unraveling from the immorality of the games. “He’s truly the most morally correct person in the movie, but there’s a naivete to him that’s unfortunate,” Lawrence says. “He lacks the street smarts that somebody like Snow or Lucy Gray has, so he’s constantly getting into trouble.”
In stark contrast to these personalities are head gamemaker Volumnia Gaul (Viola Davis) and school dean Casca Highbottom (Peter Dinklage), who serve as adversaries to Coriolanus’ virtues. With Volumnia, particularly, “we wanted to create a different kind of character, in terms of powerful women in these stories,” Lawrence says. Whereas Julianne Moore‘s rebellion boss Alma Coin was a leader corrupted by power, Volumnia is a “strong believer in a very specific philosophy, and is grooming Snow in that direction,” he says. It’s important to note, too, that the filmmaker has never been one to view his antagonists as villains. “Even working with Donald playing Snow, a lot of people would say, ‘He’s villainous and evil.’ But Donald and I never really thought of him that way,” he explains. “I know, objectively, the character is. But these characters have to believe in their philosophies.” Volumnia is resolute in hers: “She truly believes that at our core, humans are savage, and that’s why we need the games. People need to be ruled with an iron fist.”
“He is going to break bad,” adds Jacobson. “You know exactly what’s going to happen. There’s no mystery. But the fact is you still so much want him to break good. There’s something about that tension and the way you can be at war inside yourself as you’re reading the book and watching the movie.”
It’s also long before the era of Careers, haughty tributes from wealthier districts who’ve trained their entire lives for the games. The reaped children are just that: children; far from militant. And don’t expect fancy tribute uniforms, as the contenders are thrown into the arena wearing the same clothes from when they were ripped from their homes. “There’s a much more individualized feeling through all of them, and you get a stronger sense of personality,” Lawrence says. “These are just normal people. Some happen to be strong and good at fighting, some can’t even use their legs and are just crumpled on the ground crying.” It’s these elements that make that sequence harder to stomach.
But there’s levity to the brutality in the form of this year’s emcee, Lucretius “Lucky” Flickerman (Jason Schwartzman), an ancestor of Stanley Tucci‘s Caesar Flickerman. Schwartzman played a major role in the screen development of the zany showman, who wasn’t nearly as fleshed out in the initial script. “There was a lot of riffing and crafting” in order to “make more of a meal” of the character, Lawrence says of working with Schwartzman, who referenced footage of vaudevillian magicians and news anchors from the ’70s and ’80s. “He probably did the most homework out of anybody.” But, of course, “We always had the North Star of Stanley Tucci’s performance, and knew that we wanted it to feel like this character was aiming at Stanley Tucci. You could feel the origins of the host and how it could inform two generations later.”
Then there’s the wickedly apt inclusion of Sutherland’s voiceover: “It’s the things we love most that destroy us.” Coriolanus says this to Katniss in Mockingjay Part 2 after Peeta and other captive victors are extracted from the Capitol, to forewarn of Peeta’s brainwashing. The line also poignantly encapsulates Coriolanus and Lucy Gray’s love story, which does not have the same happy ending as Katniss and Peeta. “I remember being blown away by it and how it perfectly fit the themes and mysteries of the movie that we were making,” Lawrence says of the line, which was added to the BOSS trailer by the Lionsgate marketing team. In fact, he was so impressed by its relevance that he added it to the final cut of the film as well.
Lawrence shares the producer’s sentiments. “If Suzanne has another thematic idea that she feels fits into the world of Panem — whether with new people or familiar characters — I’d be interested in being a part of it,” he says. “But I don’t have any pull of just going, like, ‘I would love to do Finnick’s games.’ What are the thematic underpinnings that make it worth telling? The original ones were all about the consequences of war. [BOSS] is about the state of nature. That’s what makes them feel rich — and why they’ve stood the test of time.”