Songbirds

Not only is Rachel Zegler a real-life songbird (I mean have you heard her sing?), she also has a style that's as distinct and fun as her character Lucy Gray. With her latest project, The Hunger Games prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, she shows off her musical talents in the movie, and during the press tour for it, she’s been proving to the world that she has an A+ style. And she did that again as she celebrated the book-to-screen adaptation hitting No. 1 after a successful opening weekend. The Ballad of…

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes hit theaters last weekend, eight years after we last visited the dystopian world of Panem. The introduction of Rachel Zegler’s Lucy Gray Baird in the Coriolanus Snow origin story drew mixed results from critics, who said it failed to sidestep the common prequel problem of weaving a compelling tale when we already know at least one of the character’s fates. Fans of the franchise, however, still showed up, making The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes the No. 1 movie at the…

In both the Hunger Games prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes as well as The Hunger Games sequel Catching Fire, there is a mutated bird that plays a pivotal role in each plot called a jabberjay. While these creatures may seem like a singular issue in both projects, they’re actually vital to both stories, and the history of the bird and its impact is fascinating. So, let’s connect these dots and do a deep dive into these talking birds and their impact on The Hunger Games. (Image credit: Lionsgate)What Is A…

Suzanne Collins’ novel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, adapted for the silver screen by trusted Hunger Games filmmaker Francis Lawrence, is wonderfully referential, and not just within the context of its series, but outside of it as well. One of my personal favorite citations is the poem that inspired Lucy Gray Baird’s name. The songstress, played by Rachel Zegler in the film, is named after a William Wordsworth poem that all but informs the character’s destiny. Although we hear the Covey sing this ballad while…

This weekend was always going to see a major shakeup in the domestic Top 10 at the box office. With the Thanksgiving holiday arriving on Thursday, studios are packing theaters with major releases hoping to attract families to theaters, and as a result of this initiative, four new features were put into wide release. The results of this effort have proven to be mixed: while Francis Lawrence's The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbird and Snakes opened softly by franchise standards and Nia DaCosta's The Marvels took a bad…

WARNING: Major spoilers for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes are ahead! If you haven’t seen the highly anticipated book-to-screen adaptation, it’s playing in theaters right now. As I walked out of The Hunger Games prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, the only thing I could think about was: Did Coriolanus Snow actually love Lucy Gray Baird? Or was this all one big deceptive power play? I saw this project on the 2023 movie schedule days ago, and I’m still baffled by this question. However, I’ve…

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes goes back in time to follow the 10th annual Hunger Games where a very different District 12 tribute from Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss Everdeen takes to the arena. Rachel Zegler’s Lucy Gray Baird is a natural performer who has a talent for singing. It’s safe to say she’s the “songbird” in the title, but how was the singing accomplished on the set of one of this weekend’s 2023 new movie releases? When CinemaBlend attended The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes press conference in Los Angeles,…

The return to Panem feels frighteningly chilly given the real world horrors that surrounds us today. Helmed by Francis Lawrence, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, recognizes the key thematic extremes of its dystopian YA trilogy while mounting the events that shaped up the destiny of Coriolanus Snow (played by Tom Blyth). Here, he is young, innocent and driven; hopeful that he will follow in the footsteps of his late father. Yet, like all dystopias unravel, here the same kid might have to take a look…

The Hunger Games was a wildly popular franchise, thanks to the acclaimed novels and four-movie film franchise starring Jennifer Lawrence. While we’ve spent some time away from that sci-fi world, fans will get to return to Panem with the prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. And actor Tom Blyth recently defended Snow getting a prequel before the heroes of the franchise. Let’s break it all down.The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes cast is led by Tom Blyth, who is playing a young Coriolanus Snow. Some fans have taken…

WARNING: All the SPOILERS are ahead for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. The Hunger Games franchise has returned, but instead of experiencing the games from the perspective of Jennifer Lawrence’s legendary Katniss Everdeen role, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes explores the origins of her greatest enemy: President Coriolanus Snow. Now that one of the most highly-anticipated upcoming book adaptations is here, let’s talk about the ending of the prequel and how it ties back to the epic hero’s journey…