Shazam! Fury of the Gods star Rachel Zegler has dominated headlines in recent weeks, all because of Disney's controversial live-action Snow White remake. Whether it's sweeping changes made to the story or resurfaced comments from the actress that have divided opinions, Zegler could do with a win.
One could come in this November's The Hunger Games prequel, The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes. Set 60 years before Katniss Everdeen's story began, we'll learn more about President Coriolanus Snow's early years and will meet Zegler's District 12's tribute, Lucy Gray Baird.
Talking to Empire Online, director Francis Lawrence wonders, "Will people go see a new Hunger Games movie without Katniss?" The filmmaker obviously hopes so and believes much of the appeal will come in the form of a lead is is the "anti-Katniss."
"Katniss was an introvert and a survivor," he adds. "She was quite quiet and stoic, you could almost say [she was] asexual. Lucy Gray 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."
A new look at The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes can be seen below.
Experience the story of The Hunger Games - 64 years before Katniss Everdeen volunteered as tribute, and decades before Coriolanus Snow became the tyrannical President of Panem.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes follows a young Coriolanus 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, 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 favor. 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.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes arrives in theaters on November 17.