The early 2010s saw something of a battle to the death among film adaptations of dystopian book series, and The Hunger Games was the clear winner. Not only did the original four movies starring Jennifer Lawrence all become massive hits, but the story has continued to expand with additional novels and films, including the upcoming prequel Sunrise on the Reaping.
One character who has been consistent throughout the stories has been Cornelius Snow. He was played by Donald Sutherland in the original films, and then by actor Tom Blyth in the prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Blyth won’t be back when the film version of Sunrise on the Reaping hits theaters next year, as Ralph Fiennes will take over the role. But due to the fact that there are decades of time between the two films, Blyth told ScreenRant he isn’t convinced his time as Snow is entirely done. He said…
In all seriousness, we don’t know that we’ll never be back. There’s a good chance that Suzanne might choose to write another book that features Snow, and his story, and Tigris and everything. There’s a lot to be explored there.
Sunrise on the Reaping is centered around the 50th Hunger Games and will follow the character of Haymitch Abernathy. Woody Harrelson played him in the earlier films, and Joseph Zada will play him in the new film. While Blyth won’t be part of the story, he certainly sounds more than happy to watch this one as a fan, saying…
But I’m also excited to see this story because Haymitch is obviously a fan favorite, and I, for one, am excited to see this jump ahead and see what his story unfolds. But yeah, when they told me Ralph Fiennes was going to take over the character, I was like, 'Okay, cool. I’ll sit this one out.'
While Blyth says now that it’s “cool” for him to sit this movie out, he also freely admits that he wanted to play Snow again. He apparently went to director Francis Lawrence and producer Nina Jacobson to make sure they knew he was perfectly willing to undergo significant prosthetics to age him up to the role. He explained…
There was a time where I literally texted Francis Lawrence and Nina Jacobson and said, 'Look, I’m happy to go through six hours of prosthetics every morning to make me look like a 55-year-old, 60-year-old man.'
It certainly isn’t a crazy idea. One imagines that, if Donald Sutherland hadn’t passed away in 2024, there would have at least been a consideration to use CGI to de-age him for Sunrise on the Reaping, so going the opposite route to age up the other actor makes just as much sense. But then, when you have the chance to cast Ralph Fiennes, you should probably just cast Ralph Fiennes. Blyth certainly thinks so…
But I think they made the right choice. I think Ralph Fiennes can handle it just fine. I’m always up for a challenge. I like the transformation, but I’m quite happy to sit back and watch a master take over the role.
With decades of time still very available within the Hunger Games world, Blyth is certainly right that he might have the chance to play Snow again one day, but until then, we can all look forward to seeing Ralph Fiennes join the great actors who have played Snow, and put his own stamp on the role.
Sunrise on the Reaping will hit theaters on November 20, 2026. In the meantime, you can go back and see Blyth as Snow by streaming The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes with a Starz subscription.
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