Peter Dinklage cast in 'The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes'

By George Costantino

"Game of Thrones" alum Peter Dinklage has been tapped to play Casca Highbottom in "The Hunger Games" prequel "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes."

The actor will star in the upcoming Lionsgate film, which is set to hit theaters late next year, alongside Tom Blyth as a young Coriolanus Snow, Rachel Zegler as tribute Lucy Gray Baird and Hunter Schafer as Tigris Snow.

The movie, according to the studio, takes place "years before 18-year-old Coriolanus would become the tyrannical President of Panem."

He's alarmed to be assigned as a mentor for Lucy Gray, the "girl tribute" from District 12. But after she grabs Panem's attention by defiantly singing during the reaping ceremony, Snow thinks he might be able to "turn the odds in their favor," leading to a "race against time to survive," ultimately revealing "who is a songbird, and who is a snake."

Dinklage's character, according to director Francis Lawrence, who directed three of the four original "Hunger Games" movies, is a key figure in Panem, and the man credited with creating the Hunger Games.

"...Highbottom is one of the most powerful people in Snow's life," Lawrence told Deadlineon Monday. "As the austere and vindictive face of the games, he sets the rules that will determine every aspect of Coriolanus' fate."

Lawrence added that he was "thrilled that Peter will be bringing him to life."

The first teaser for the film was released in June.

"The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" is due in theaters on Nov. 17, 2023.