Euphoria star Hunter Schafer has joined the cast of Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games prequel movie The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
The movie is being adapted from Suzanne Collins’ 2020 book of the same name, which takes place decades before Katniss Everdeen’s — played by Jennifer Lawrence in the movie tetralogy — adventures in The Hunger Games.
Schafer joins Tom Blyth, and West Side Story stars Rachel Zegler and Josh Andrés Rivera in the prequel.
On Tuesday, Nick Benson, Laurel Marsden, Lilly Cooper, Luna Steeples and Hiroki Berrecloth were reportedly added to the cast.
The story of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes revolves around Coriolanus Snow, an ambitious boy who eventually becomes the tyrannical leader of the dystopian country of Panem.
Blyth will play the young Snow, while Zegler is taking on the role of Lucy Gray Baird, the girl tribute from impoverished District 12. Rivera plays Snow’s close friend Sejanus Plinth.
Schafer will play Tigris Snow, Coriolanus’s cousin and confidante, who advises him in everything — from his role as mentor to the core of his moral compass.
The latest draft of the screenplay is by Michael Lesslie, who builds on the work of writers Suzanne Collins and Michael Arndt.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes will be produced by Nina Jacobson and her producing partner Brad Simpson, along with Francis Lawrence. Suzanne Collins, Tim Palen, and Jim Miller will serve as executive producers.
Schafer made her acting debut portraying Jules in the HBO critically acclaimed series Euphoria. She is currently working on the film Cuckoo by director Tilman Singer.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is set to open on November 17, 2023, in cinemas worldwide.
