Posted in: Lionsgate, Movies | Tagged: francis lawrence, lionsgate, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, the hunger games, The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes

How Willy Wonka Helped Inspire The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes

The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes, director Francis Lawrence explains how Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory helped inspire a character.

One of the things that the movie adaptations of The Hunger Games never really leaned into as hard as it could have is the absolutely insane clothing that the people of Panem and the Capitol wear. We see some of it, but it's so much more extreme in the books. But maybe it was due to worrying blurring gender lines or something that they were worried about showing men and women going to those lengths. So, the costumes in this universe have always been a topic of conversation when The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes was released. One of the characters whose costume will play a role in the person we see on screen is Viola Davis as Dr Volumnia Gaul. Director Francis Lawrence recently spoke to People about how the 1971 Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and specifically the costumes of Gene Wilder were a source of inspiration.

"There was this wild, kind of quirky creativity and joy in creativity that character had but with this kind of sinister underpinning," Lawrence says. "I have to admit, I was a bit nervous to tell her that reference. But she got it immediately, luckily. … [Davis] one of the best actors of all time."

We all know that the best villains are the ones that believe they are completely right, and while everything we have seen of Gaul in the trailers points toward someone who could not be more of a villain and is someone sending children out to die gleefully, she doesn't not believe she is the villain. "[Dr. Gaul] may appear to be sort of the villain in this, but she actually really believes in these things and thinks it's the right thing to do. It was really fun to see that come together," Lawrence explained. "Obviously, the character from the book informs it … then you get into hair, makeup, wardrobe, all of that. And Viola puts it all together and came up with this version of Dr. Gaul." It seems like it would take a lot of moral gymnastics to try and figure out why watching children kill each other for sport is an acceptable punishment for a previous rebellion. However, that conflict is what makes characters like this interesting. What is also going to make is also going to make Gaul and her place in The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes fascinating is watching just how much of her influence Snow takes on.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes – Summary, Cast List, Release Date

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 & 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 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 & Snakes is directed by Francis Lawrence and stars Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Peter Dinklage, Hunter Schafer, Josh Andrés Rivera, Jason Schwartzman, and Viola Davis. It is based on a novel of the same name by Suzanne Collins and a screenplay by Michael Lesslie and Michael Arndt. It will be released on November 17th.

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