Viola Davis will make the trek to Panem! Deadline reports the Oscar-winning actress will join the massive cast for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, the film adaptation of The Hunger Games prequel novel by Suzanne Collins of the same name.
Davis will portray Head Gamemaker, Dr. Volumnia Gaul. Director Francis Lawrence describes Dr. Gaul thusly:
“Dr. Gaul is as cruel as she is creative and as fearsome as she is formidable. Snow’s savvy as a political operator develops in no small part due to his experiences with her as the games’ most commanding figure.”
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Producer Nina Jacobson had this to say regarding Davis’s addition to the ensemble:
“From the beginning, Viola has been our dream for Dr. Gaul because of the finely layered intelligence and emotion she brings to every role. A brilliant and eccentric strategist, Gaul is instrumental in shaping a young Coriolanus Snow into the man he will become. We are incredibly fortunate to have an actor with Viola’s extraordinary range and presence to play this pivotal role.”
Viola Davis has amassed an incredible, versatile body of work over the years. She scored her first Academy Award nod for her turn as Mrs. Miller in 2008’s Doubt, with 2011’s The Help bringing another nomination for Davis. She went on to win in 2017 for Fences and, recently, scored an Oscar nomination in 2021 for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
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Davis has several projects in production, including an Amanda Waller Peacemaker spinoff, a Shirley Chisholm biopic and a Harriet Tubman project. You can catch her in this fall’s The Woman King, where she stars as Nanisca, and in DC’s Black Adam in October, reprising her role as Amanda Waller.
Here’s a synopsis for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes per Deadline:
“It picks up with Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) at age 18—years before he would become the tyrannical President of Panem—at a point when he’s the last hope for his fading lineage, a once-proud family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol. With the 10th annual Hunger Games fast approaching, the young Snow is alarmed when he is assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), the girl tribute from impoverished District 12.
But, after Lucy Gray commands all of Panem’s attention by defiantly singing during the reaping ceremony, Snow thinks he might be able to turn the odds in their favor. Uniting their instincts for showmanship and newfound political savvy, Snow and Lucy’s race against time to survive will ultimately reveal who is a songbird and who is a snake.”
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I’m excited to see Viola Davis take on this exciting role. She possesses extraordinary range as a performer, and she’ll undoubtedly bring gravitas and nuance to this part.
Are you ready for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes? Sound off in the comments below!
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What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet.
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