First trailer for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

It's time to pick a side again with the reveal of the first trailer for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. This is the prequel to the blockbusting young adult franchise and presents us with the origin story of the dreaded President Snow.

In the initial films, he was played by Donald Sutherland (whose sinister tones adorn part of the trailer). Here, he's played as a younger man by Tom Blyth, as featured on the new poster below. You'll see that Blyth is paired with West Side Story star Rachel Zegler as Hunger Games District 12 tribute Lucy Gray Baird.

 

The movie is adapted from Suzanne Collins' book of the same name. The synopsis for the film is as follows: "THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS & SNAKES follows a young Coriolanus (Tom Blyth) who is the last hope for his failing lineage, the once-proud Snow family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol.

"With his livelihood threatened, Snow is reluctantly assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), a tribute from the impoverished District 12. But after Lucy Gray’s charm captivates the audience of Panem, Snow sees an opportunity to shift their fates. With everything he has worked for hanging in the balance, Snow unites with Lucy Gray to turn the odds in their favour.

Battling his instincts for both good and evil, Snow sets out on a race against time to survive and reveal if he will ultimately become a songbird or a snake."

With scene-chewing appearances from Peter Dinklage and Oscar-winner Viola Davis, playing Hunger Games architects Casca Highbottom and Dr. Volumnia Gaul, respectively, there are plenty of reasons to expect great things from this.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is released on November 17th.