Summary
- The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes reveals President Snow’s origins as a manipulative leader, showing how he influenced the Games from a young age.
- The prequel depicts Snow at 18 years old, showing his intellectual prowess and the contrast between the Capitol and Districts’ children.
- President Snow is 82 years old in the first The Hunger Games movie, with Donald Sutherland filming at 76.
The Hungers Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes features a younger version of an infamous Hunger Games character, who is a stark contrast to the elderly Snow the franchise first introduced. The highly-anticipated prequel to 2012’s The Hunger Games follows a teenage Coriolanus Snow, who would eventually go on to become the president of Panem during The Hunger Games film series. While there are a few differences from the prequel book of the same name, the film maintains many similarities to its source material like the vague fate of Lucy Gray Baird in the Hunger Games universe. Smaller details were kept too, such as the ages of the various characters.
The Hunger Games presents President Coriolanus Snow as a manipulative, despicable leader whose tyranny has hurt the Districts for decades. He is a key figure in the government that enforces the Games every year. The prequel shows how Snow actually influenced the Games from a young age, with him showing glints of his future evil traits by The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes‘ ending. The original Hunger Games series shows President Snow in a much later stage of life. It is terrifying to consider how many Games he’s witnessed and how he’s had power in the Capitol for decades.
Coriolanus Snow Is 18 Years Old In The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes
Tom Blyth Was 27 Years Old Filming The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes
In The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes book, Coriolanus Snow is 18 years old at the time of the 10th Hunger Games. Though Snow had the advantage of coming from a prestigious Capitol family, a lot of his success did come from his own bright ideas. Most of his intellect shined during his time at the Academy, a secondary school in the Capitol. Considering that The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes starts with Snow about to graduate from the Academy, it is safe to assume that he is 18 years old as he is in the book.
Coriolanus in The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes is the same age as some of the tributes of the 10th Hunger Games, which is what makes the parallel between the Capitol and the Districts so much more tragic. With kids in the Districts having to fear getting reaped from ages 12 to 18, it makes the Capitol children’s life of luxury a jarring juxtaposition. Snow is just a teenager himself, but actor Tom Blyth was 27 years old at the time of filming. Thanks to some styling, Blyth pulls off the persona of a young student still innocent to the world despite being almost a decade older than the character.
President Snow Is 82 Years Old In The Hunger Games
Donald Sutherland Was 76 Years Old Filming The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games covers Katniss and Peeta’s experience in the 74th Hunger Games, meaning that it takes place 64 years after Lucy Gray Baird’s Games and the complete events of The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes. Coriolanus, now President Snow, would be 82 years old during the events of the original film. Snow’s initial introduction to The Hunger Games franchise was as the leader of Panem, seemingly having a long legacy already under his belt. However, it is unknown exactly when Snow came into power as the president of the country, let alone got into politics.
Though his inauguration year is not specified, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes showed how quickly Snow was able to rise through the ranks as he became an apprentice of Volumnia Gaul right after graduating from the Academy. It wouldn’t be surprising if Snow rose to his presidency relatively early in his career, making his status in The Hunger Games at his old age all the more impressive. However, it is also a terrifying consideration as Panem would have been under his influence for likely decades. Unlike Blyth, actor Donald Sutherland was actually younger than his Hunger Games counterpart being only 76 at the time of filming.
President Snow Is 83 Years Old In The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Donald Sutherland Was 77 Years Old Filming Catching Fire
Catching Fire took place within a year after the events of The Hunger Games. Covering the aftermath of the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss and Peeta are adjusting to life as newly-crowned victors. While the exact time passed since the first film is not stated, Katniss and Peeta seem to be fresh off of their Victory Tour when they’re reaped to go back into the arena for the 75th Hunger Games, or the third Quarter Quell. With this timeline, all of the characters don’t age much in the franchise’s sequel.
It can safely be assumed that all of the Games happen in around the same month if they are a yearly occurrence. With that in mind, it can be assumed that President Snow is 83 years old in Catching Fire. Author Suzanne Collins’ original The Hunger Games trilogy came out in rapid succession, with one book published per year from 2008 to 2010. The films themselves followed a similar timeline, with the original four films released in a four-year span. Catching Fire was released only a year and a half after The Hunger Games. Filming took place in 2012, making Sutherland 77 years old.
President Snow Is 83 Or 84 Years Old In The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 & 2
Donald Sutherland Was 78 Years Old Filming Mockingjay Part 1 & 2
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay happens directly after the events of the second installment of the franchise. Catching Fire ends with Katniss and the other tributes being extracted from the arena, and Mockingjay picks up right where it left off. No time has passed since Catching Fire, and the events of both parts of Mockingjay seem to happen in a timely manner. President Snow is likely still 83 years old in these films, maybe 84 if a birthday passed for him during the rebellion. Sutherland was 78 years old while filming in 2013, with production for both Mockingjay parts happening back-to-back.
Despite never personally using violence, President Coriolanus Snow is one of the most menacing characters to come out of The Hunger Games franchise. The original Hunger Games films showed President Snow as a well-established leader, but The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes explored more of his origins as a fresh academy graduate, making an impact on the Games at just 18 years old. Though there are still plenty of years of Snow’s life that fans don’t have much information on, The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes shows how Coriolanus’ long life would eventually come full circle.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
- Release Date:
- 2023-11-17
- Director:
- Francis Lawrence
- Cast:
- Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Hunter Schafer, Jason Schwartzman, Peter Dinklage, Josh Andrés, Josh Andrés Rivera, Viola Davis
- Rating:
- PG-13
- Runtime:
- 157 Minutes
- Genres:
- Action, Adventure, Drama
- Writers:
- Michael Lesslie, Michael Arndt, Suzanne Collins
- Studio(s):
- Color Force, Lionsgate
- Distributor(s):
- Lionsgate
- Sequel(s):
- The Hunger Games, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2
- Franchise(s):
- The Hunger Games
