Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes had its world premiere at London’s BFI IMAX this evening, with a red carpet that featured director Francis Lawrence and stars Rachel Zegler, Tom Blyth, Hunter Schafer, Josh Andres Rivera and more.
The return to the Suzanne Collins franchise that’s based on her prequel novel marks the first major world premiere outside of a festival to include actors on the media line since the SAG-AFTRA strike started in July.
Even if the guild and the studios had not reached a tentative agreement to end the strike last night, the film had already secured an Interim Agreement with Lionsgate a non-AMPTP company.
Regardless, the team was effusive about the end of the strife. Producer Nina Jacobson said that she was among the folks “screaming with joy” that the strike is over, having learned about it during a jet-lagged night:‘The #HungerGames : The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes’ Nina Jacobson on being delighted the SAG-AFTRA strike is over and the film being meant to be enjoyed as a stand-alone pic.twitter.com/KS9Lz7duWv Blyth, who plays the young Coriolanus Snow, shared with us his thoughts on a “character that people already think they know and already definitely hate but hate to love and love to hate.” He also said he’s got “some very fun roles coming up… It’s getting pretty busy” now that the strike is done; and further told us that on Songbirds & Snakes, he “swapped some horror stories of going to the same drama school” with fellow cast member and Julliard alum Viola Davis “and some toolkit tricks of the trade.” Tom Blyth on upcoming projects, now that SAG-AFTRA has reached a tentative agreement with AMPTP: “It’s getting pretty busy” pic.twitter.com/xZiYtTx4Ny Francis
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