Jason Schwartzman is the latest addition to the Hunger Games prequel
Schwartzman picks up the mantle from Stanley Tucci as host of Panem's 10th annual Hunger Games
Aux News Jason Schwartzman
The Hunger Games films followed a very particular formula on its path to success: the child death matches, the tortured love triangle, the political intrigue, the flamboyant Capitol fashions and the equally over-the-top announcer guy. Filling the latter role in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes will be Jason Schwartzman (per Deadline), because this prequel is sticking with what works.
Following in the footsteps (or, since this is a prequel, preceding the footsteps) of the ever-memorable Stanley Tucci, Schwartzman will play Lucretius “Lucky” Flickerman, the host of Panem’s 10th Hunger Games. Yes, Schwartzman’s character is actually the ancestor of Tucci’s Caesar Flickerman; showmanship must run in the family. Perhaps it’s a commentary on the role of nepotism in fascist societies. Or perhaps author Suzanne Collins ran out of names.
In any case, Collins certainly relied on familiar (if occasionally obscure) names from the original trilogy to populate the prequel. The story centers around Corialanus Snow (Tom Blyth) and his path to becoming Panem’s villainous dictator. Hunter Schafer was recently cast as Snow’s cousin Tigris, a fashion designer who played a minor role in Mockingjay.
Rachel Zegler will play Lucy Gray Baird, a character who wasn’t named in the original series but looms large over the lore. She’s the songstress behind “The Hanging Tree” and “Deep In The Meadow,” two District 12 ballads that help elevate Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) as a political figure after she sings them.
Schwartzman joins the previously announced cast of tributes, mentors, and District 12 residents including Josh Andrés Rivera, Jerome Lance, Ashley Liao, Knox Gibson, Mackenzie Lansing, Aamer Husain, Nick Benson, Laurel Marsden, Lilly Cooper, Luna Steeples and Hiroki Berrecloth, per Deadline. Original trilogy director Francis Lawrence is returning to helm the new (or old, since prequel) generation of Hunger Games, which feels very similar to the old (or new?) generation, if the Flickerman connection is anything to go by.
4 Comments
Wasn’t too keen on a prequel, but, man, do I love me some Schwartzman.
This book was a frustrating read for me and I was annoyed almost the entire time. The cast so far is very good but I am not sure they can save such a rambling and boring story.
The book was okay- good bathtime reading candy, but had the same Collins problem of the part where the author realizes “we need to wrap this shit up” and crams the climax and denouement into ten pages after spending the previous 100 on sometimes superfluous details.The cast sounds promising, and the cast is what elevated the films over Twilight-esque fare, so I’ll be there. Especially if they find a way to cram Sutherland into it.
I had to go back and look to see what year the Games were in at the time of the first book; 74th. So 64 years elapse between this and Katniss’ appearance. Seems like there could still be plenty of public antipathy towards them after such a short period of time. I think the first one would be more fun (and maybe there are flashbacks) since I have to think a whole lot of people would be stunned they would actually have children fighting to the death to make a point (and well before it became a point of honor in some of the districts). And quick math suggests Tucci would be Schwartzman’s grandson or great nephew.