New The Hunger Games prequel trailer starring Rachel Zegler and Tom Blyth

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Serpents isn’t expected to hit theaters until 2023, but Warner Bros. Pictures has given those eagerly awaiting the release a first look at Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler. The duo, who are taking on the roles of young Coriolanus Snow and Hunger Games competitor Lucy Gray Baird, seem peaceful and hopeful about the new image. However, those familiar with the story know that its future is fraught with trouble and turmoil.

New Hunger Games prequel image stars Coriolanus Snow and Lucy Gray Baird

The preparations have started. Return to the Games in 2023… pic.twitter.com/6n6YAaqCBb

– The Hunger Games 🔥 (@TheHungerGames) June 5, 2022

“This is a story about love,” the official Hunger Games Twitter account teased when posting the image. “And we love all kinds of things that we don’t trust.” In our modern world, it may be difficult to see this story as romantic, but the intimacy between these two main characters is ever present in the original novel by Suzanne Collins.

Set approximately 64 years before the events of the Hunger Games trilogy, this new film transports audiences back to District 12 where young Lucy Gray is chosen as one of the tenth Hunger Games tributes. By this time, the Capitol’s prestigious high school, the Academy, would offer top academic achievers the opportunity to mentor one of the tributes. One such student is young Coriolanus Snow, who is assigned none other than Lucy to aid in the deadly arena.

A far cry from the villainous President we met in the Hunger Games trilogy, Snow proves to be one of the more caring mentors, smuggling food to Lucy after learning she isn’t being fed by the Capitol. From that point on, their friendship blossoms and it seems that this first look picture is from that moment in history. After that, however, chaos rains down on the duo.

The cast of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes also includes Peter Dinklage, Hunter Schafer and Jason Schwartzman. Francis Lawrence returns as director after working on The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Parts 1 & 2.

In other news, Viola Davis has cast himself as villain Dr. Gaul joined the cast of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, while She Hulk actress Tatiana Maslany doesn’t want to be known as a “strong female lead.”