Ralph Fiennes’ President Snow issues threat in new Hunger Games trailer

By Georgia Bates, Press Association

Ralph Fiennes issues a deadly threat as President Coriolanus Snow in the first trailer for the new Hunger Games prequel.

The Conclave actor stars as the villain in the film adaptation of the fifth book in the franchise, which follows a young Haymitch Abernathy as he is drawn to fight in the 50th Hunger Games.

The trailer for The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping ends with Fiennes’ character telling Joseph Zada’s Haymitch: “If you disobey me we shall open the bloodbath with the longest, most drawn out death your people have ever seen.”

Glenn Close, Kieran Culkin, Elle Fanning and Jesse Plemons are also among the celebrities to join the franchise, which has already taken more than 3.3 billion dollars at the box office.

The film – which is due to hit cinemas on November 20th this year – is set 24 years before the events of the first instalment in the franchise, which starred Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson as Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark respectively.

It will start on the morning of the reaping of the second Quarter Quell.

During the trailer, Haymitch walks with a woman while Fiennes’ President Snow tells him “you love her and she loves you – but now you are on your own”.

It then cuts to the protagonist shouting and banging on a window before a train is shown moving across a large bridge.

Caesar Flickerman, played by Succession’s Culkin, then says into a microphone “welcome to the Second Quarter Quell” before Drusilla Sickle, played by Close, says “you have no idea what’s in store for you”.

In the fifth instalment of the franchise, The Great actress Fanning takes on the role of Effie Trinket. In one scene from the trailer, which was released on Monday, she tells Haymitch: “Go out there and make them remember you.”

In the original trilogy, Stanley Tucci played Caesar, Elizabeth Banks starred as Effie and Donald Sutherland portrayed President Snow.

Originally played by Woody Harrelson, Haymitch was first introduced to viewers as the alcoholic mentor to tributes Katniss and Peeta.

Sunrise On The Reaping is based on the series written by American author Suzanne Collins. It will be directed by Francis Lawrence, who also directed The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Mockingjay Part I, and Mockingjay Part II.

Lawrence also directed the most recent film The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes, which starred Snow White actress Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird and Tom Blyth as President Snow.