Before there was Katniss Everdeen, there was Lucy Gray Baird. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, set decades before the original Hunger Games series, introduces a fresh wave of tributes–and mentors–who will compete in a brutal version of the Games. The twist? If the new trailer is any indication, this fight for survival extends far beyond the arena.
Based on the best-selling novel by Suzanne Collins, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes tells the tale of a young Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth), the man who would become president of the dystopian nation of Panem. As a top student at the Capitol’s most prestigious high school, Snow is tasked with mentoring someone reaped for the upcoming Hunger Games. His assignment is none other than Lucy Gray (Rachel Zegler), the female tribute from District 12.
Lest you think this sounds familiar, Lucy Gray is far from a girl on fire. New footage from the prequel film shows just how Zegler’s songbird is treated upon her arrival to the Capitol–shoved into a train, dumped into an enclosure, and faced with falling debris that looks like it might crush her. Enter Snow, who knows that his own future hinges on her survival.
As the story begins, Snow is struggling to survive in the wake of the Capitol’s war with the Districts. He lives with his grandmother and cousin Tigris (Hunter Schafer), and, according to the film’s official logline, “is the last hope for his fading lineage.” Guided by the wicked Volumnia Gaul (Viola Davis), Snow begins to embrace his ambition–only to find it at odds with own morality. “He is a young man finding his way in the world,” producer Nina Jacobson told Vanity Fair last year. “But he also makes choices that presage the man he is becoming.”
Also included in the trailer are scenes from District 12, a barbaric arena, and a haunting cover of “The Hanging Tree”–the song that briefly (and peculiarly) landed Jennifer Lawrence a spot on the Billboard Hot 100.
The film hits theaters on November 17, 2023.