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Posted in: Casting, Movies | Tagged: hunger games, lionsgate, Rachel Zegler
Next Hunger Games Film To Star West Side Story's Rachel Zegler
Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes has its lead. Announced at CinemaCon by Lionsgate, the new film will star Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird, opposite Tom Blyth, who will play the young Coriolanus Snow. Lionsgate made the announcement this morning. The film will be directed by Francis Lawrence, who previously directed Catching Fire, Mockingjay Part One, and Mockingjay Part Two. It will be produced by Nina Jacobson and her producing partner Brad Simpson, along with Lawrence. Suzanne Collins, Tim Palen, and Jim Miller will serve as executive producers. Zegler is coming off an acclaimed performance in Steven Spielberg's West Side Story last year, which she won a Golden Globe and National Board of Review awards.
Hunger Games Big Screen Return Should Be Interesting
"Like everybody, I first saw Rachel Zegler in West Side Story, and like everybody, I knew I was watching a star who would command the screen for a generation," said Francis Lawrence. "Lucy Gray is a perfect match for her as an actress: the character is bold, independent, and defiant, but also vulnerable, emotional, and loving. Rachel will make this character unforgettable." "Lucy Gray is an incredibly complex character, a performer who has to use every skill in her arsenal to survive. Our casting team, Deb Zane and Dylan Jury, spearheaded an exhaustive search, reading hundreds of actors in search of our perfect Lucy Gray. That search ended when Rachel Zegler blew the roof off with her depth and breadth of talent as an actor, singer, and performer. Rachel is utterly compelling; just like Lucy Gray, her voice and charisma command the stage while her inner strength and humanity transform those around her," said producer Nina Jacobson.
I gotta be honest, I do not know anyone too excited for a new Hunger Games. The book is not exactly beloved, and the last two parts of the original trilogy of films were a mess. Like always, we withhold judgement until we see it, and Zegler is fantastic, so that should get people excited.
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