Tom Blyth, who can currently be seen as the titular character in Epix’s series Billy the Kid, is the first to be announced for The Hunger Games prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. He will be taking on the role of Coriolanus Snow, who was president of Panem during the original Hunger Games films and novels. The events of this film will take place when Snow is still a young man at 18 years-old and the 10th annual Hunger Games are soon to begin.
The situation during this time is not the best for Coriolanus and his family, but when he’s assigned to be a mentor for Lucy Gray Baird, the tribute of District 12, he finds the opportunity to turn things around for the better for himself. Of course, how he goes about doing so and at what lengths he’ll go to accomplishing his goals gives us a look into how Coriolanus Snow eventually comes to be the President Snow we know sixty-four years later.
Although Sutherland captured President Snow very well in the original films, the talented Blyth shouldn’t feel too worried about having to take over the role as the character still isn’t quite at the dictatorship level he is when Sutherland played him. There might be some nuances that Blyth could try to replicate of Sutherland that would be impressive to see, but essentially, Tom could make the role his own without doing so.
It will be an exciting look into a part of the Hunger Games world fans probably didn’t expect to learn about when a prequel was first announced, but the challenge will be for Tom Blyth in how to make Coriolanus Snow entertaining and intriguing as a main character instead of just a villain.
Audiences who haven’t seen Blyth in Billy the Kid or anything else may wonder about that, but director Francis Lawrence said “Tom’s take on the character showed us all the complex ambiguities of this young man as he transforms into the tyrant he would become.” Producer Nina Jacobson also stated, “Tom’s performance will both fulfill and disrupt everything you think you know about Coriolanus Snow. He’s a tremendous talent who will show why Snow always lands on top.”
Blyth’s other credits include HBO’s The Gilded Age as well as British films Benediction, and Scott and Sid.
