MOVIE NEWS – According to Rachel Zegler, the interim agreement between SAG-AFTRA and Lionsgate may have saved the Hunger Games prequel.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes might finally get the much-coveted promotional injection. Because Rachel Zegler can finally promote the project without violating the terms of the actors’ strike.

Set more than six decades before the events of the mainstream films, Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games prequel follows young Coriolanus Snow as he tries to restore his family’s authority and becomes intertwined with that of Lucy Gray Baird.

Since the source material of the same name was written in 2020, well after the show’s initial surge in popularity, many fans don’t know what The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is about. It didn’t help that the film’s cast was unable to promote the movie due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike.

The strike and its far-reaching effects, which led the Screen Actors Guild to target the video game industry, have yet to be resolved. However, a new interim agreement between the union and studio Lionsgate has finally allowed the theatre’s cast to negotiate the film, led by star Zegler. She finally revealed the film’s poster to her followers on Instagram, and Zeglar accompanied the image with a multi-paragraph caption that read in part:

“I am so beyond thankful to @lionsgate and @sagaftra for working so hard throughout this strike to come to an agreement, allowing us to participate in press and promotion for our film, which comes to theaters on November 17. lionsgate’s efforts are proof that studios, big and small, can meet us in a place of fairness for their films and the people who work so hard to make them.”

Zegler praised the time spent on set. She also reminded his followers that there is much more to come. “Making this movie was hands-down one of the best experiences of my life thus far. I cannot wait to share more behind-the-scenes content with you all, the fans, who make experiences like this eight million times better. there will be lots of all of my beautiful friends from the cast, as well as appreciation for our crew, which is filled with people I love so deeply. (so watch this space! there’s more to come).” The upcoming promo from Zegler and others is a much-needed injection of attention for the upcoming film as the Hunger Games prequel heads toward a franchise-low opening number.

In addition to Zegler, Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage has joined the Hunger Games prequel alongside the fantastic talents of Tom Blyth, Hunter Schafer, Jason Schwartzman, Josh Andrés Rivera and Viola Davis.

The attention that all these big names will generate for the film ahead of its release could mean the difference between failure or success in terms of box office prospects. It’s something Lionsgate likely had in mind when they signed the interim deal. While similar agreements have been signed throughout the strike, Lionsgate and The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is the most prominent example and the closest to release.

Even though the film’s fortunes may improve, now that the promotional campaign can begin in earnest, some say it’s too late. They maintain that the SAG-AFTRA strike ruined the supposedly planned renaissance of The Hunger Games. This seemed to kick in around the announcement of the film. How the prequel will perform and what that means for the franchise’s future is yet to be seen.

Source: Instagram