Peter Dinklage Joins Ensemble Cast For ‘Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes’

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ ensemble cast is ever-growing. Acclaimed actor Peter Dinklage has joined the cast of the film as Casca Highbottom, according to Deadline.

Highbottom is a mentor for the young President Coriolanus Snow and the Dean of the Academy that he attends. Tim Blyth will play Snow, and Rachel Zegler is set to portray Lucy Gray Baird. Francis Lawrence is returning to direct his fourth film in the franchise, as he’s done with Catching Fire and Mockingjay Part One and Two.

The film will release on November 17th, 2023, and add on as the fifth installment in the epic franchise, which has grossed $3 billion worldwide. Production is underway, and while Dinklage may be a late add, he gives the cast a great boost. The Emmy-winning Game of Thrones actor known for his witty wordplay as Tyrion Lannister will contribute to this film. His most recent film was Joe Wright’s Cyrano, and he also starred in Avengers: Infinity War as Eitri, the Dwarf.

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Dinklage’s Highbottom character is one of the most influential and important people to the young Snow. The film follows a young 18-year-old Coriolanus as he must restore his family’s honor. He must mentor Baird and prepare her for the Hunger Games as she is the tribute from district 12 in this post-war era of Panem.

Dinklage is a busy man, but the producers of this Hunger Games prequel think he will be a fantastic add-on as one of the most important characters to the story. Producer Nina Jacobson stated:

“I cannot think of an actor more perfectly suited to inhabit the role of Highbottom. As the man credited with conceiving the Hunger Games and the Dean of the Academy,  Casca Highbottom is a character with secrets.  Peter’s magnetism, intensity and dark humor will infuse him with the intelligence, depth and pathos that the role demands.”

She and her partner Brad Simpson will be producing the film with Lawrence. Collins, Tim Palen, and Jim Miller will executive produce. The film has gone through a few drafts, including writing from Collins, Michael Ardnt, and Michael Leslie.

Are you guys excited about Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes? Are you looking forward to seeing Peter Dinklage appear in the film? Let us know in the comments below!

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