The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes cast: Are any original stars in the new movie?

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is set to revive the smash-hit franchise! But are any of the original cast members of the movies in this prequel?

The Hunger Games was a smash hit, making Jennifer Lawrence a star and a new wave of YA adaptations. It was followed by three sequels adapting Suzanne Collins’ novels, with the finale in 2015.

Now comes The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, a prequel based on another of Collins’ novels. It takes place 63 years before the first Hunger Games movie, as Panem is still recovering from the devastating war that ripped it apart. The Hunger Games are about to enter its 10th year, and the masses loathe it as a punishment for the rebellious districts.

Coriolanus Snow, who lost his family and fortune in the war, is trying to make a name for himself. He’s selected as the mentor for Lucy Gray Baird, the female Tribute from District 12. They find themselves growing close even as Lucy prepares for this battle to the death.

Meanwhile, the creators of the Hunger Games are preparing to transform the Games into a televised spectacle that will become a source of entertainment. It all comes together in a conflict that will set Snow on the path to becoming the ruthless President played by Donald Sutherland in the original films.

It looks to be a great prequel, but will we see any cameos from the original stars?

Who stars in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes?

It sounds like, barring a surprise cameo, none of The Hunger Games actors will appear in the movie. That makes sense, given it takes place over six decades earlier, and most of the characters haven’t even been born yet. While there’s a chance we get a “flash forward” at the end of Snow now Donald Sutherland, it looks to be a new cast.

Tomy Blyth plays the young Snow, showing the man’s progression into the tyrant we’d know. Rachel Zegler is Lucy, while Josh Andres Rivera is Senjanus, one of Snow’s friends.

There are a few connections to the earlier films. Hunter Schafer is Tigris Snow, who goes on to become a stylist in the Games and an ally to Katniss. Jason Schwartzman will play Lucky Flickerman, the first host for the Games and likely ancestor to Stanley Tucci’s Caesar Flickerman.

Other big names include Peter Dinkalge as Cas Highbottom, Dean of the Academy who teaches the Tributes, while Oscar winner Viola Davis is Dr. Volumnia Gaul, the creator of the Games. The rest of the cast are likely going to be victims in the Games themselves to push how wild they are.

• Tom Blyth as Coriolanus “Coryo” Snow
• Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird
• Josh Andrés Rivera as Sejanus Plinth
• Hunter Schafer as Tigris Snow
• Peter Dinklage as Casca “Cas” Highbottom
• Jason Schwartzman as Lucretius “Lucky” Flickerman
• Viola Davis as Dr. Volumnia Gaul
• Fionnula Flanagan as Grandma’am
• Burn Gorman as Commander Hoff
• Ashley Liao as Clemensia Dovecote
• Max Raphael as Festus Creed
• Zoe Renee as Lysistrata Vickers
• Nick Benson as Jessup
• Isobel Jesper Jones as Mayfair Lipp

With such a high-powered cast and a great story, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes looks to be another great addition to The Hunger Games saga.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes premieres in theaters Friday, Nov. 17.