The cast for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes continues to grow, with the most recent addition to the roster being Jason Schwartzman. Serving as a prequel to The Hunger Games franchise, the film is set several decades before Katniss Everdeen ever took to the arena, following a young Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) with the 10th annual Hunger Games on the horizon. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes boasts a cast of rising stars including Euphoria's Hunter Schafer as Tigris Snow and Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird. The film adaptation of Suzanne Collins' latest novel will be directed by Francis Lawrence, who returns after his success with Catching Fire, Mockingjay Part One, and Mockingjay Part Two.

Lionsgate now announces that Schwartzman will be playing Lucretius “Lucky” Flickerman. Ancestor to the original film's Caesar Flickerman (Stanley Tucci), the character will show where the man who became the voice of Panem descends from. Lucretius will host the 10th annual Hunger Games, interviewing and commentating on the children in the arena as the event unfolds.

Hunger Games Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes teaser

Related: Hunger Games Prequel Casting Teases 1 Major Book Fix

Aside from Snow and TigrisThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes has so far been amassing a cast of characters with few ties to The Hunger Games. Schwartzman's Lucretius Flickerman now presents an excellent opportunity to shed some light on the original series in an organic way; audiences will likely see shades of Caesar in his ancestor, perhaps through his own brand of showmanship. Even without seeing him in full costume, it already feels like Schwartzman is an excellent choice for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes' host, as he bears some resemblance to Tucci. Audiences will get to meet him next year.

More: Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes: What Hunger Games' Prequel Title Means

Source: Lionsgate