17 Aug - Viola Davis is joining the cast of the upcoming "Hunger Games" prequel, "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes". The actress has been cast to portray the role of Head Gamemaker Volumnia Gaul in the movie, based on Suzanne Collins' bestseller of the same name. Said Lionsgate President Nathan Kahane, "The Hunger Games films have always been elevated by their exceptional casting, and we are thrilled to be continuing that tradition with Viola Davis as Volumnia Gaul. Her formidable and powerful presence will add layers of complexity and menace to this story."
Davis is no stranger to playing no-nonsense powerful women in movies, having played characters like Amanda Waller ("The Suicide Squad"), Annalise Keating ("How to Get Away with Murder"), and even Michelle Obama in the upcoming series, "The First Lady". She also has several new movies to be released soon, including "The Woman King" and "Black Adam". Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler have already been cast as the young Coriolanus Snow and Lucy Gray Baird in the movie, alongside Jason Schwartzman, Nick Benson and Peter Dinklage, the latter to play the role of Casca Highbottom.