West Side Story's Rachel Zegler Joins The Cast Of The Hunger Games Prequel Movie

gamerant.com:

With the recent reveal that Lionsgate is working on adapting Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games prequel novel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes into a big-screen feature, fans are anxiously awaiting more news about what they can expect in the upcoming film. Now it's just been revealed that West Side Story actress Rachel Zegler has been cast in a lead role.

The story of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is set to follow a young Snow, years before he would be appointed as the president of Panem. With the 10th annual Hunger games looming, Snow is assigned to be a mentor for Lucy Gray Baird, a female tribute from District 12. However, Lucy Gray shows resistance after singing during the reaping ceremony, causing all the District's eyes to now be on her. But together Snow and Lucy race against time and vie to survive.

West Side Story's Rachel Zegler Responds To Snow White Casting Criticism

Zegler is set to star in the role of Lucy Gray Baird alongside actor Tom Blyth, who was recently announced to be portraying young Coriolanus Snow, a character previously portrayed by actor Donald Sutherland in the original Hunger Games trilogy. The most recent draft of the adaptation has been written by Michael Lesslie, which is set to build on the work of the original novel, and it’s being overseen by Meredith Wieck and Scott O'Brien from Lionsgate. The film is also set to be directed by Francis Lawerence, who directed Catching Fire, Mockingjay Part One, and Mockingjay Part Two, which collectively grossed over $3 billion at the box office worldwide.

President of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Nathan Kathane gushed about attaching Zegler to the Hunger Games prequel. «When you read Suzanne’s book, Lucy Gray’s emotional intelligence, physical