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Viola Davis, 57, is the newest name announced for the cast of the movie “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Singing Birds and Serpents”. She will play the villain Dr. Volumnia Gaul, creator of the 10th edition of the “Hunger Games”.

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“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”, said Lionsgate motion picture group president Nathan Kahane told The Hollywood Reporter. 

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“Dr. Gaul is as cruel as she is creative and as fearsome as she is formidable. Snow’s savvy as a political operator develops in no small part due to his experiences with her as the games’ most commanding figure”, director Francis Lawrence told THR. He directed three of the four “Hunger Games” and returned to the franchise directing the prequel.

Producer Nina Jacobson adds, “From the beginning, Viola has been our dream for Dr. Gaul because of the finely layered intelligence and emotion she brings to every role. A brilliant and eccentric strategist, Gaul is instrumental in shaping a young Coriolanus Snow into the man he will become. We are incredibly fortunate to have an actor with Viola’s extraordinary range and presence to play this pivotal role.”

Viola Davis joins Tom Blyth, who plays the young Coriolanus Snow, and Rachel Zegler, who plays Lucy Gray Baird. The film’s theatrical release is scheduled for November 17, 2023.