‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’: Go Behind-the-Scenes of the Upcoming Film (Exclusive)

In the upcoming epic, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, fans will be going back in time over 60 years before the events depicted in the original film franchise, to a time when the world was in turmoil and the seeds of the dystopia to come were first being planted.

Now, ET is giving fans an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the hotly anticipated sci-fi action drama, before it hits theaters next month.

In The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, a young Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) is the last hope for his failing lineage, which has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol. He is assigned to be a mentor to Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), a tribute from the impoverished District 12, in the 10th Hunger Games.

When her charm captivates the audience of Panem, Snow sees an opportunity to shift their fates and the pair unites to turn the odds in their favor.

Reflecting on her character in the film, Zegler shares, “She’s kind of a breeding ground for what Katniss becomes.”

Meanwhile, the film shows Snow before he becomes the tyrannical President of Panem, but Blyth explains how the groundwork is laid as the prequel’s story unfolds.

“He becomes kind of dark and heavy towards the end, and he becomes the kind of dictator that we know him to be,” Blyth shares, referring to the brutally ruthless Snow played by Donald Sutherland in the original trilogy.

Meanwhile, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes showcases the villainous machinations of another murderous maniac from Panem’s history — the serpent-loving Volumnia Gaul, played by Viola Davis.

Davis describes the inspiration for her character — one of the architects of the 10th Hunger Games — as a “Willy Wonka mad scientist mixed with a Dr. Frankenstein kind of vibe.”

It was a performance that left co-star Peter Dinklage quietly amazed.

“Viola Davis, the legend. I was always nervous that I was gonna forget my off-camera line because I was just watching her when she was on camera. I was just in awe of her,” says Dinklage, who plays Casca Highbottom, Dean of the Academy of Panem.

Meanwhile, the film also marks the big screen debut of Euphoria star Hunter Schafer, who plays Snow’s cousin, Tigris.

“There’s certainly this level of being slightly intimidated,” Schafer shares, “but that quickly melted away as soon as I started working and coming to set and getting to hang out with everybody.”

The film also stars Josh Andrés Rivera as Sejanus Plinth, the mentor to a tribute from District 2 and a close friend of young Snow; and Jason Schwartzman as Lucky Flickerman, the official host of the 10th Hunger Games.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes will be released on Nov. 17. 

RELATED CONTENT: