Rachel Zegler is perfectly cast as the female lead of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, thanks to the current trajectory of her career. After the massively successful The Hunger Games movies starring Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, Lionsgate began moving ahead with a prequel, titled The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Based on the book of the same name by The Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes follows the life of a young Coriolanus Snow.
After Tom Blyth was cast as the younger version of Coriolanus Snow, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes found its female lead. It has since been announced that West Side Story's Rachel Zegler will lead the Hunger Games prequel alongside Blyth. Zegler will play Lucy Gray Baird, the District 12 tribute for the 10th Hunger Games, who is mentored by Blyth's Coriolanus Snow.
Rachel Zegler is the perfect choice for the role of Lucy Gray Baird in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. In her previous roles, Zegler has demonstrated specific skills that fit the character of Lucy Gray Baird. Zegler's breakout role was in Steven Spielberg's West Side Story in 2021, proving not only her acting talent but her ability to sing, too. This is a key part of Lucy's story in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, meaning that Zegler has already proven that she possesses an important skill that makes her an excellent choice for the role. In addition to this, Zegler has two other high-profile roles in movies: the title character in Disney's live-action Snow White, and she will appear in the superhero film Shazam! Fury of the Gods. These two roles combined prove that Zegler has the chops for the Hunger Games franchise, as the mingling of a fairy-tale story with fantastical action essentially captures the tone of Collins' stories.
Zegler is also the perfect choice for Lucy Gray Baird due to her own current rising star status in Hollywood. She's at exactly the right point in her career to lead The Hunger Games prequel. As Rachel Zegler is set to play characters in at least two other major releases, it's safe to say that her star is very much on the rise, but she's not yet such a well-established talent that it's likely to take away from her performance. Zegler is essentially at the same point in her career as Jennifer Lawrence was when she appeared in The Hunger Games.
By casting a recognizable star who has yet to prove the range of her talent, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes has a perfect actor for its female lead. Zegler has already proved that she possesses all of the abilities needed to make for a memorable turn as the Hunger Games tribute, and both the movie and her own career will undoubtedly be boosted by one another. Ultimately, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes looks set to define the upward trajectory of her career.
