The upcoming Hunger Games prequel film has found its host.
Jason Schwartzman will star as Lucretius “Lucky” Flickerman, the host of the games, in the film adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Schwartzman is known for his roles in the television series Bored to Death and Fargo, and for his frequent collaborations with director Wes Anderson in films including Rushmore and The French Dispatch.
He’s the latest big name to join the adaptation, after Rachel Zegler, Hunter Schafer, Josh Andrés Rivera, and Tom Blyth.
The film and novel take place years before the events of the original Hunger Games books. It follows the series’ antagonist, Coriolanus Snow, as a young man, mentoring a tribute in the games. In a starred review, a critic for Kirkus wrote of the book, “The twists and heartbreaks captivate despite tragic inevitabilities.”
The film, written by Michael Arndt and Michael Lesslie and directed by Francis Lawrence, also recently added six other actors, Deadline reports: Max Raphael (Black Beauty), Ayomide Adegun (The Continental), Kaitlyn Akinpelumi (The School for Good and Evil), Zoe Renee (Master), Amélie Hoeferle (The Boogeywoman), and Sofia Sanchez (Switched at Birth).
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is expected to be released next year.
Michael Schaub, a journalist and regular contributor to NPR, lives near Austin, Texas.
