The prequel of The Hunger Games, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is set to release in the upcoming year. With the already exceptional cast in the film, one more name is added to the list. The Oscar winner Viola Davis will now join the cast along with Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones), Hunter Schafer (Euphoria), Tom Blyth, and Rachel Zegler. She will be portraying the villain, Dr Volumnia Gaul, who is the head game maker of the 10th annual Hunger Games.
About Oscar Winner Viola Davis
Viola Davis is an American actress and producer and is a recipient of various accolades. She became the only African-American to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting.
Davis’ film breakthrough came in Doubt (2008)in which she played the role of a troubled mother and received her first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. In 2016, she made her debut as Amanda Waller in the DC Extended Universe film Suicide Squad and has reprised her role as such ever since.
Read also: ‘The Suicide Squad’: Viola Davis to Return as Amanda Waller in James Gunn’s Sequel
Davis and her husband, Julius Tennon, are founders of a production company, JuVee Productions. She has also remained active as a human rights activist and fights for equal rights.
Viola Davis will be the new villain in the Hunger Games prequel
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The story of The Ballads of Songbirds and Snake takes place years before the action of The Hunger Games. Instead of Katniss and Peeta (who are not even born in this timeline), the main focus is on President Snow who is chosen to be a mentor to Lucy Gray Baird, the girl tribute from impoverished District 12, during the 10th Hunger Games. Dr Volumnia Gaul is the head game maker of the 10th Hunger Games.
Francis Lawrence the director of the previous Hunger Games movies and who is again set to direct the prequel says about casting Davis as an exceptional talent who will do justice to the role of Dr Gaul, who is creative just like Viola Davis.
“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,”
Read also: Hunger Games Prequel Casts West Side Story Star Rachel Zegler in Lead Role
The producer of Hunger Games, Nina Jacobson adds, that casting Viola Davis is like a dream come true. She is an actress with an extraordinary range with a massive presence. Just what they wanted for the film.
“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.”
Nathan Kahane, the president of Lionsgate motion picture group also said that they are honoured and thrilled to have Viola Davis on board as she will have a powerful presence in the movie.
“The Hunger Games films have always been elevated by their exceptional casting, and we are thrilled to be continuing that tradition with Viola Davis as Volumnia Gaul. Her formidable and powerful presence will add layers of complexity and menace to this story,”
Fans are very much excited to see Viola Davis playing the role of Dr Gaul.
i would like to thank not only god but jesus as well
— mo 🪴 (@formsanewscar13) August 15, 2022
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is scheduled to be released on November 17, 2023.
Related article: ‘They canceled it because of her’: The First Lady Gets the Ax After First Season, Fans Blame Viola Davis As Primary Reason
Source: Collider
