Lionsgate announced today that Peter Dinklage, a four-time Emmy Award winner for his performance on the HBO series Game of Thrones, has joined the cast of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Birds and Snakes as Casca Highbottom, Dean of the Academy. The announcement was made today by Nathan Kahane, president of Lionsgate’s Motion Picture Group. Dinklage will star in the film with Tom Blyth, who will play the young Coriolanus Snow, and Rachel Zegler, tribute to Lucy Gray Baird.
The film will be directed by Francis Lawrence, the makers of Catching Fire , Mockingjay Part One and Mockingjay Part Two . Producer Nina Jacobson and her producer partner Brad Simpson, as well as Francis Lawrence will be responsible for production. Suzanne Collins, Tim Palen and Jim Miller will serve as executive producers.
Still from the “Game of Thrones” series
“We are excited to welcome Peter Dinklage to Lord. Not only is Peter a fan favorite actor who brings a lot to any role he plays, he is one of the best actors alive. He will bring the admirable authority for the important role of Dean of the Academy, ”Kahane said.
“Dean Highbottom is one of the most powerful people in Snow’s life. As the stern and vengeful face of the Games, he sets the rules that will define every aspect of Coriolanus’ fate. I’m delighted that Peter will bring him to life, ”said director Francis Lawrence.
“I can’t imagine an actor more suited to the role of Highbottom. As the man credited with conceiving the Hunger Games, Casca Highbottom is a mysterious figure. Peter’s magnetism, intensity and dark humor will fill him with the intelligence, depth and pathos this role demands, ”said Nina Jacobson, producer of the film.
The Ballad of Birds and Snakes tells the story of 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow, who later served as the tyrannical president Panem. Snow (Tom Blyth) is the last hope for his waning bloodline, a once-proud family that fell out of favor in the post-war Capitol. Due to the upcoming 10th Hunger Games, Snow is to prepare Lucy Gray Baird, a teenage girl from impoverished District 12, for the competition. At the harvest ceremony, Snow and Lucy fight together to survive in a deadly game and discover who is the bird and who is the snake.
The latest draft of the script is by Michael Lesslie ( Macbeth , starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard, and Assassin’s Creed). Lesslie builds on the work of writers Suzanne Collins and Michael Arndt (Oscar-winning writer Little Miss Sunshine and also serving as one of the writers of Catching Fire ). The script is based on the best-selling novel by Collins.
The Hunger Games: Ballad of Birds and Snakes will debut in cinemas around the world on November 17, 2023.