"The French Dispatch" actor Jason Schwartzman is set to star in "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes", the prequel movie to "The Hunger Games".
The upcoming film is the latest project in the dystopian young-adult franchise based on Suzanne Collins' novels.
"The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" follows a young Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth), years before he would become the tyrannical President of the fictional nation Panem, as he is chosen to be the mentor of the 10th Hunger Games, a televised event in which teenagers are chosen via lottery to fight to the death.
According to Deadline, Schwartzman will play Lucretius 'Lucky' Flickerman, the host of the competition and ancestor to Caesar Flickerman, who would become the voice of Panem.
Hollywood veteran Donald Sutherland played the adult Snow in "The Hunger Games", the original movie franchise, which followed the adventures of Katniss Everdeen, played by Jennifer Lawrence.
Francis Lawrence, who helmed three of the four "The Hunger Games" films, is returning to direct the upcoming Lionsgate production.
Michael Lesslie has penned the most recent draft of the screenplay, with initial inputs from author Collins and "Catching Fire" writer Michael Arndt.
Previously announced cast members of the film also include Rachel Zegler, Hunter Schafer, Josh Andres Rivera, Jerome Lance, Ashley Liao, Aamer Husain, and Hiroki Berrecloth.
"The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" is scheduled for a November 17, 2023 release.
[With Inputs From PTI]
