Tom Blyth.Photo: Julian Ungano
Donald Sutherlandportrayed the authoritarian President Snow across the first four movies, which followed the story of a brutal, annual affair where two adolescent tributes from each of the 12 districts of Panem are chosen at random to fight to the death in a televised survival challenge.
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Tom Blyth (L); Donald Sutherland.Jon Kopaloff/Getty, Murray Close/©Lionsgate/courtesy Everett Collection
“Coriolanus Snow is many things — a survivor, a loyal friend, a cutthroat, a kid quick to fall in love, and a young man ambitious to his core,” says Lawrence, 51. “Tom’s take on the character showed us all the complex ambiguities of this young man as he transforms into the tyrant he would become.”
“Tom’s performance will both fulfill and disrupt everythingyou think you know about Coriolanus Snow,” adds producer Nina Jacobson. “He’s a tremendous talent who will show why Snow always lands on top.”
Erin Westerman, president of production for Lionsgate, tells PEOPLE, “Tom Blyth is an explosive rising talent whose mesmerizing and charismatic presence makes him an exciting actor and perfect for this leading role.”
Aside from his role onBilly the Kid, Juilliard School alum Blyth, 27, has credits in HBO’sThe Gilded AgeandBenediction, a film from Terence Davies. He also starred in the 2018 British coming-of-age filmScott and Sid.
An official synopsis for the new film reads, “Years before he would become the tyrannical President of Panem, 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow is the last hope for his fading lineage, a once-proud family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol.”
The synopsis adds, “Uniting their instincts for showmanship and newfound political savvy, Snow and Lucy’s race against time to survive will ultimately reveal who is a songbird, and who is a snake.”
source: people.com