Rachel Zegler’s Hunger Games Protagonist Enters The Arena With Snow In New Prequel Image

A new image from The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes shows Rachel Zegler’s protagonist entering the arena. Based on the book by Suzanne Collins, the upcoming film serves as a prequel to The Hunger Games saga. Set 64 years before the events of the first film, the story follows an 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow (played previously by Donald Sutherland in The Hunger Games) as he develops a relationship with the District 12 tribute, Lucy Gray Baird, during the 10th annual Hunger Games.

Ahead of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes release date later this year, a new image from Empire shows Zegler’s protagonist entering the arena. Check out the image below:

The image shows the District 12 tribute, Lucy Gray Baird, looking terrified as she enters the Hunger Games arena while holding hands with her mentor, a young Coriolanus Snow (played by Tom Blyth).

How Lucy Gray Baird Differs From Katniss Everdeen

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes director Francis Lawrence, who previously helmed Catching Fire and Mockingjay Parts 1 & 2, says Lucy Gray is the “opposite” of Katniss Everdeen and even calls her the “anti-Katniss.” Though they are both female tributes from District 12, there are many differences between the two protagonists. Katniss is introverted, and her main focus is merely surviving the Hunger Games. She was arguably “asexual,” as Lawrence says, as she was forced by Abernathy and others into a fake-turned-real love story with Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) to garner public support.

On the other hand, Lawrence says that Lucy Gray “wears her sexuality on her sleeve” and “is a performer.” While Katniss was the reluctant leader of the rebellion against the Capitol, Lucy Gray loves the limelight. Katniss is famously adept at archery, but Lucy Gray is not skilled with any particular weapon, and must instead rely on her wits to gain an advantage over her opponents. Whether the odds will be in her favor remains to be seen when The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes releases in theaters on November 17.