Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes Dolby Poster Finds Snow Eerily Mirroring Katniss (& His Older Self)

A new poster for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes calls back to iconic images from the franchise. The new movie stars Tom Blyth as Coriolanus Snow, the young man who will grow into the cold and cruel President of the dystopian nation known as Panem. Set six decades before the events of the original Hunger Games movies, the prequel follows Snow mentoring a young District 12 tribute named Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler) as she prepares to fight in the tenth Hunger Games, a battle to the death between young tributes from each of Panem’s districts.

Dolby Cinema has unveiled a new poster for the movie a week ahead of the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes release date. The poster depicts Blyth’s Coriolanus Snow sitting on a white throne bearing the Mockingjay logo. This is in conversation with posters for the Hunger Games finale movies Mockingjay – Part 1 and Mockingjay – Part 2, which alternately depict the older President Snow (Donald Sutherland) and the young rebel Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) on that same throne, as well as a shattered statue of Snow. Check out the new poster, as well as the original designs, below:

Coriolanus Snow’s Hunger Games Future Explained

This new poster is a reminder of the dark path that Snow has ahead of him. Although the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes trailer shows that the movie will depict the character in a more sympathetic light during his youth, he eventually grows to become a brutal and embittered tyrant. In fact, Donald Sutherland’s iteration of the character is the primary antagonist of the franchise, appearing in all four Hunger Games movies.

In the original The Hunger Games, Snow is largely seen in behind-the-scenes moments orchestrating the Hunger Games, though his cruelty is displayed in his casual approach to consigning failed gamemaker Seneca Crane (Wes Bentley) to death. Katniss doesn’t truly come onto his radar until the sequel Catching Fire, where he orchestrates her being sent back into the Hunger Games arena in retaliation for her actions causing civil unrest. Mockingjay sees a freed Katniss attempting to rescue her companion Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) and others from Snow’s clutches, leading a rebellion that sees the President deposed and killed by the masses.

Katniss isn’t part of the The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes cast because of its place on the timeline. However, as the orchestrator of Snow’s eventual downfall, she is an important figure in the life of the man he will become. This is why the new poster is so eerie, evoking a similar atmosphere to the teaser poster for Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, which showed the young Anakin Skywalker with the shadow of future villain Darth Vader, reminding viewers of the evil deeds the seemingly innocent character will one day be capable of.