Actress Viola Davis is the latest addition to the cast of Lionsgate's upcoming prequel "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes".

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the "How to get away with murder" star will be joining the cast as Head Gamemaker Volumnia Gaul, one of the "snakes" who will help design the deadly challenges of the annual hunger games.

"Her formidable and powerful presence will add layers of complexity and menace to this story." Lionsgate Motion Picture Group President Nathan Kahane commented.

"The Hunger Games" producer Nina Jacobson expressed her excitement for the actress' involvement, as they had been eyeing Davis for the role since the beginning, as her character will be "as cruel as she is creative and as fearsome as she is formidable,"

"Viola has been our dream for Dr. Gaul because of the finely layered intelligence and emotion she brings to every role," added Jacobson. "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."

"The Hunger Games" film franchise is based on Suzanne Collins' novel series about Katniss Everdeen, a girl who inspires a revolution that destroys an oppressive futuristic class system in a dystopian world. In 2020, Collins wrote an additional novel as a prequel, "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes," which focuses on the original series' main antagonist, President Snow.

Star-studded Casting AND Production Team

"The Hunger Games" films have always been elevated by their exceptional casting. As of now, other cast joining the songbirds and snakes are Peter Dinklage as Casca Highbottom, Hunter Schafer as Tigris Snow, and Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird.

The film will be directed by Francis Lawrence, the director of three of the four original "Hunger Games" films, in addition to franchise producer Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson. Tim Palen will be the executive producer alongside author Suzanne Collins. Meredith Wieck and Scott O'Brien are overseeing the project on behalf of Lionsgate.

The Latest Update on Production

Lionsgate has recently dropped the prequel's first teaser recently in June.

"You're invited to return to the game in 2023," The video teases. "The world will discover who is a songbird and who is a snake."

Lionsgate announced during its 2022 CinemaCon presentation that the movie is set to premiere on Nov. 17, 2023.

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Viola Davis, The Hunger Games, Celebrity News, Movies, Lionsgate