‘Hunger Games’ Prequel Reveals Villainous Leader’s Origin Story 

Actors Rachel Zegler, Tom Blyth and Josh Andres Rivera appear during a promotional event for the movie "Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes", in Times Square in New York City, US, November 1, 2023. (Reuters)
Actors Rachel Zegler, Tom Blyth and Josh Andres Rivera appear during a promotional event for the movie "Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes", in Times Square in New York City, US, November 1, 2023. (Reuters)
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‘Hunger Games’ Prequel Reveals Villainous Leader’s Origin Story 

Actors Rachel Zegler, Tom Blyth and Josh Andres Rivera appear during a promotional event for the movie "Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes", in Times Square in New York City, US, November 1, 2023. (Reuters)
Actors Rachel Zegler, Tom Blyth and Josh Andres Rivera appear during a promotional event for the movie "Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes", in Times Square in New York City, US, November 1, 2023. (Reuters)

It wasn't easy for director Francis Lawrence to transform "Hunger Games" franchise villain Coriolanus Snow into a compelling protagonist for a prequel film taking place 64 years before the hit films starring Jennifer Lawrence.

"We had to figure out a way to get an audience emotionally invested in him, to be behind him, to be rooting for him, to empathize with him," Lawrence told Reuters.

"The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" arrives in theaters on Nov. 17 and delves into the origin stories of some characters from the four previous films. In particular, it explores President Snow's journey to overseeing the brutal games in which young people must fight to the death in an arena for an event called "The Hunger Games."

Like the other films, the Lionsgate prequel is based on a novel by Suzanne Collins, released in 2020.

"Once we felt like we had the audience behind him, we still had to seed in layers of his ambition and layers of his greed and layers of the darkness and layers of his sort of hunger for power so that when he does turn, it feels honest, it feels truthful and believable," Lawrence added.

The older version of Snow from the original films was portrayed by Canadian actor Donald Sutherland and the younger version in the prequel is played by English actor Tom Blyth.

The cast also includes noteworthy actors Viola Davis as Dr. Volumnia, Hunter Schafer as Tigris Snow and Peter Dinklage as Casca Highbottom.

Snow will do anything to succeed, including agreeing to mentor one of the contestants in The Hunger Games, songstress Lucy Gray Baird, played by Rachel Zegler.

What starts as coaching Baird in hopes of bolstering his academic achievements transforms into a sequence of events that take Snow down a menacing path of betrayal.



Conan O’Brien Will Return as Oscars Host in 2026

Show host Conan O'Brien speaks during the start of the Oscars show at the 97th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, US, March 2, 2025. (Reuters)
Show host Conan O'Brien speaks during the start of the Oscars show at the 97th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, US, March 2, 2025. (Reuters)
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Conan O’Brien Will Return as Oscars Host in 2026

Show host Conan O'Brien speaks during the start of the Oscars show at the 97th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, US, March 2, 2025. (Reuters)
Show host Conan O'Brien speaks during the start of the Oscars show at the 97th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, US, March 2, 2025. (Reuters)

Conan O’Brien is returning to the Oscars stage in 2026. The late-night host and comedian will preside over the 98th Academy Awards, set for March 15, the film academy’s leadership said Monday.

“The only reason I’m hosting the Oscars next year is that I want to hear Adrien Brody finish his speech,” O’Brien said in a statement.

This year was O’Brien’s first time leading the show, which attracted its biggest broadcast audience in five years despite the winning movie, “Anora,” being relatively small. An estimated 19.7 million viewers watched the 97th Academy Awards ceremony earlier this month, according to broadcaster ABC, with a big lift among people aged 18 to 49, driven by mobile and laptop watches from younger viewers. It was also the most watched prime-time entertainment show of 2025.

“Conan’s unique comedic style perfectly captured the moment, and I’m excited to have his talents back onstage next year to helm another indelible performance,” said Craig Erwich, the president of Disney Television Group, in a statement.

Next year O’Brien will also be surrounded by a familiar team, with Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan returning as executive producers of the show and Jeff Ross and Mike Sweeney as producers. Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang said in a joint statement that it’s an honor to be working again with the group behind this year’s broadcast.

“This year, they produced a hugely entertaining and visually stunning show that celebrated our nominees and the global film community in the most beautiful and impactful way,” Kramer and Yang said. “Conan was the perfect host — skillfully guiding us through the evening with humor, warmth and reverence.”

The show also succeeded in social media metrics, outperforming both the Grammy Awards and the Super Bowl, according to Oscars organizers. This was the first time that the show was streamed live simultaneously on Hulu, which was not without its glitches.

The timing of the announcement of next year's hosting and producing teams — less than a month after this year's Oscars — is unusually early for the film academy and ABC.