Sean Marshall Lionsgate’s The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes welcomes Viola Davis to its cast. Davis is the latest to join the cast following the announcement of Peter Dinklage back in July.
Davis is locked in to play Head Gamemaker Volumnia Gaul. Her character in the book was also known as Dr. Gaul & was an instructor at the University that taught military strategy & biology. Volumnia Gaul was also behind the Capitol’s experimental weapons division at the Citadel.
Lionsgate Motion Picture Group President, Nathan Kahane had this to say about Davis joining the cast: “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,” said “Her formidable and powerful presence will add layers of complexity and menace to this story.”
Director Francis Lawrence said: “Dr. Gaul is as cruel as she is creative and as fearsome as she is formidable,” said Lawrence. “Snow’s savvy as a political operator develops in no small part due to his experiences with her as the games’ most commanding figure.”
Producer Nina Jacobson added: “From the beginning, Viola has been our dream for Dr. Gaul because of the finely layered intelligence and emotion she brings to every role. A brilliant and eccentric strategist, Gaul is instrumental in shaping a young Coriolanus Snow into the man he will become. We are incredibly fortunate to have an actor with Viola’s extraordinary range and presence to play this pivotal role.”
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Lawrence will direct the film. Michael Arndt will write the script, while Jacobson and Suzanne Collins are locked in as producers. Collins, Tim Palen, and Jim Miller are tied to the film as executive producers. Davis will join Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Peter Dinklage, Jerome Lance, Knox Gibson, Mackenzie Lansing, Ashley Liao, Hunter Schafer, Aamer Husain, Jason Schwartzman, Sophia Sanchez, Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Jerome Lance, Knox Gibson, Mackenzie Lansing, Ashley Liao, Hunter Schafer, & Aamer Husain. The film will hit theaters on November 17, 2023.
Years before he would become the tyrannical President of Panem, 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) is the last hope for his fading lineage, a once-proud family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol. With the 10th annual Hunger Games fast approaching, the young Snow is alarmed when he is assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), the girl tribute from impoverished District 12. But, after Lucy Gray commands all of Panem’s attention by defiantly singing during the reaping ceremony, Snow thinks he might be able to turn the odds in their favor. Uniting their instincts for showmanship and newfound political savvy, Snow and Lucy Gray’s race against time to survive will ultimately reveal who is a songbird, and who is a snake.
