Hunger Games Prequel Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes Left Rachel Zegler Bruised From A 'Bloodbath'
It's a little odd to get excited about the "Hunger Games" films coming back, right? Not because the previous films in the franchise were bad (on the contrary), but because they're the opposite of escapist entertainment. The initial four films based on Suzanne Collins' best-selling young adult novels are pretty unflinching in the way they depict a future where a fascist government forces working-class young people to fight one another to the death for the amusement of the wealthiest and most powerful members of society. Those films are just as frank in the way they confront the psychological impact on the Games' survivors and how easily revolutionaries can be manipulated by politicians or even become fascists themselves.
This also makes the "Hunger Games" films uncomfortably on time for a revival with this year's adaptation of Collins' prequel book, "The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes." Set long before the other entries in the series, the film casts "West Side Story" breakout Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird, a tribute for the 10th annual Hunger Games who is mentored by future Panem President Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blythe). With Francis Lawrence back calling the shots on "Songbirds & Snakes" after his work helming the sequels to the original "Hunger Games" film, we can safely assume the film will carry over the same gritty tone that served Lawrence's previous entries so well.
Zegler didn't have to wait long to get a taste of that herself. In fact, she hopped out of the pan and into the fire on her first day of shooting, as Lawrence recounted to Empire Magazine:
"The opening of the games we call 'the bloodbath,' and that's exactly what she had to jump into right away. She was leaving [the set] bruised pretty much every day, but those fighter qualities came in."
A slaughterfest and a song
At this stage in her career, Zegler is mainly known for her singing chops. They're what helped land her the part of Maria in Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story," as well as her starring role in Disney's upcoming live-action "Snow White." But while "Songbirds & Snakes" isn't a musical like those films (though it'd be wild if it was; we're talking "Tank Girl" levels of anarchic filmmaking), it still gives Zegler the chance to show off her amazing belting skills. Lawrence recalled:
"It was so emotional to hear the song, which is an a cappella piece that she sings near the end of the arena sequence. I think it stunned everybody."
That sense of showmanship also sets Lucy apart from "Hunger Games" lead Katniss Everdeen, who was firmly in her element during the Games but struggled when it came to currying the favor of Panem's most influential. "Katniss was an introvert and a survivor. She was quite quiet and stoic, you could almost say [she's] asexual," Lawrence told Empire. "[Lucy] is the opposite. She wears her sexuality on her sleeve, [and] she really is a performer. She loves crowds. She knows how to play crowds and manipulate people"
Singing isn't the only tool in Lucy's figurative arsenal. Zegler also learned how to play guitar for the role, with Lawrence having her study 1930s country music to prepare her for her big song during the film. That may not be enough to spare Lucy from a tragic fate (without getting into spoilers, it's safe to assume this prequel doesn't have the cheeriest of endings), but it might just allow Zegler to make her mark as a worthy "Hunger Games" heroine in her own right.
"The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" hits theaters on November 17, 2023.