Director Francis Lawrence Tells Why He Cast Rachel Zegler in "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes"

The fifth installment in The Hunger Games franchise, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, is set to be released in November 2023. Young actress Rachel Zegler is set to enter the Hunger Games universe with this film, and her casting has come as a surprise to many. Well, here's what the director has to say about it.

Talking about casting Rachel Zegler as Lucy and the four-hour meeting between the two, Director Francis Lawrence said, "I mean, you know, the thing is, she's one of the most talented young actresses out there right now. But, you know, the character of Lucy Gray is a really tricky one, right? Because she's a mercurial character. So she's emotional, but she's also damaged, and she's lived quite a lot more honestly than the character of Snow has. But she also has to be a fantastic singer. And you know, Rachel's a phenomenal singer. And so, yeah, we sat down and talked about the character and talked about the books and just had a fantastic meeting."The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a prequel to The Hunger Games (2012). Directed by Francis Lawrence, the film stars Viola Davis, Peter Dinklage, Josh Andrés Rivera, Jason Schwartzman, Hunter Schafer, Tom Blythe, and Rachel Zegler. The film will be released in cinemas on November 17, 2023.