Moviegoers will get the chance to return to Panem in late 2023. However, it’s going to be in the past rather than after the events of the first four films, because the main Hunger Games film series concluded seven years ago with Mockingjay — Part 2. Over the past several months, the cast of the movie version of Suzanne Collins’ prequel book The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes has been assembled, and today comes word that Game of Thrones actor Peter Dinklage has joined the cast.
Peter Dinklage Joins The Hunger Games!
The dean of the Academy, the most renowned school in Panem’s Capitol, Casca Highbottom, will be played by Peter Dinklage in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Regarding Dinklage’s participation in the prequel, director Francis Lawrence, who previously oversaw the final three Hunger Games films, made the following formal statement: “Suzanne’s new book has been worth the wait. It offers everything fans could hope for and expect from The Hunger Games while also breaking new ground and introducing an entirely new canvas of characters.”
In addition, Peter Dinklage will “bring a forceful, charismatic authority to the vital character” of Casca Highbottom, according to Nathan Kahane, president of Lionsgate’s Motion Picture Group. No spoilers here for those who haven’t read The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and want to watch the movie with as much of a blank slate as possible, but Highbottom’s part is crucial to both this narrative and the greater mythology surrounding The Hunger Games. Don’t expect Dinklage to make a cameo appearance in this future film, even though we are unsure of his exact role.
“All Dwarfs Are Bastards In Their Father’s Eyes.”
As previously mentioned, Peter Dinklage is well known for his role as Tyrion Lannister in the entire run of the television series Game of Thrones. He has also starred in several genre films, such as Trumpkin in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Bolivar Trask in X-Men: Days of Future Past, and Eitri in Avengers: Infinity War. Dinklage’s other forthcoming projects include directing the Toxic Avenger revival in addition to The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Dinklage’s most recent appearance on a major motion picture screen was in Cyrano when he had a role alongside Haley Bennett, Kelvin Harrison Jr., and Ben Mendelsohn.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes hits cinemas on November 17, 2023.