It is expected that President Coriolanus Snow will play a role in the upcoming book and movie The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, necessitating a recast. Donald Sutherland, an acclaimed actor in his lifetime and the first to play President Snow, sadly passed away in June 2024. Sutherland was 88 years old, while Snow is 58 at the time of the 50th Hunger Games. Therefore, it is possible that the producers were already planning to recast. Snow was also played at 18 years old by Tom Blyth in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.
Confirmed to take place 40 years after The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, Sunrise on the Reaping will depict Haymitch Abernathy’s victory in the Hunger Games. Snow still looms large over the story, already the tyrannical president of Panem. The Hunger Games franchise may be counted among Sutherland’s best movies because of the fascinating character he plays. Both Sutherland and Blyth portrayed a corrupt politician with a deeply pessimistic view of the world, driving his tactics of manipulation and terror, presenting a challenging task for the next actor to play him.
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10 Ralph Fiennes
Known For Schindler’s List (1993) & The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
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Ralph Fiennes is one of those legendary actors who most people would assume can do pretty much anything; his career demonstrates a wide range of genre and character variety. Things like The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and The Grand Budapest Hotel demonstrate the quirkier side of his acting talents, portraying characters who act like they are grounded in a bizarre world. Fiennes’ status as a villain actor is even more noteworthy, having played the main antagonist of the landmark movie Schindler’s List and Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter movies.
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It was recently announced that The Hunger Games franchise is continuing its prequel format with Sunrise on the Reaping, which would explore Panem and its 2nd Quarter Quell, thus opening the door for an origin story for District 12’s Haymitch. A recent report indicated that Challengers star Mike Faist was being eyed for the role, though franchise fans continue to throw other names out as ideas. While Cobra Kai’s Tanner Buchanan is certainly a great idea, House of the Dragon’s Tom Glynn-Carney is a compelling choice due to his compelling acting and physical resemblance to Woody Harrelson.
The Harry Potter movies don’t delve into the psychology of Voldemort as much as they could because of time constraints, but it can be assumed that Fiennes would play a mentally complex version of Snow. Sutherland previously portrayed a subtle character arc and conveyed much within a few lines of dialogue. Fiennes would be a strong choice to play Snow given his known talent, and would live up to the gravitas of the character and his machinations during the timeline of Sunrise on the Reaping.
9 Joel Edgerton
Known For The Great Gatsby (2013), Boy Erased (2018), & The King (2019)
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Alternatively, Sunrise on the Reaping may opt for the approach of casting a known actor as Snow but not someone who is already a living legend, allowing the character to not be overshadowed by the name. Joel Edgerton has appeared in a lot but is decidedly not as famous as Sutherland or Fiennes. However, he has played some complex antagonistic roles in movies such as The Great Gatsby, Boy Erased, and The Gift. Yet he has always been an understated, reliable choice for many different roles.
Edgerton’s best roles include the more down-to-earth characters of Falstaff in The King and Owen Lars in Obi-Wan Kenobi. What’s interesting about Snow’s backstory in The Hunger Games is that he did not have everything handed to him; he actually has more in common with Katniss than she ever realizes, having experienced poverty and been ruthlessly determined to get where he is. Edgerton would be a good choice to play Snow because he has experience with characters similar to those on both sides of Panem’s conflict, perspectives which all contribute to the president’s mentality.
8 Rhys Ifans
Known For Notting Hill (1999), The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), & House Of The Dragon (2022-Present)
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Rhys Ifans has led a long and storied career; some of his most famous roles are so entrenched in comedy that no one is going to pretend they have anything to do with his potential to play Snow. However, his role as Otto Hightower in House of the Dragon is as close to Snow as anyone could hope to get. Ifans’ performance as Otto is spectacular because of how he conveys careful calculation and nuance with each line; he maintains a facade of reason and even compassion, but everyone knows he means to win the game of thrones.
Ifans could basically play Otto all over again in Sunrise on the Reaping, perhaps delving into a new facet of Snow’s character with how his family plays into his ambitions.
Otto’s character has the added complexity of his family being part of his schemes, leaving people wondering if he would ever prioritize his children’s happiness over the Iron Throne. Interestingly, this has some bearing on Snow’s life. Snow has a granddaughter in The Hunger Games, but nothing is ever said about his marriage or children. Ifans could basically play Otto all over again in Sunrise on the Reaping, perhaps delving into a new facet of Snow’s character with how his family plays into his ambitions.
7 Daniel Craig
Known For Skyfall (2012) & Knives Out (2019)
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Daniel Craig is known for playing characters who are ever-strategic. In the case of the James Bond movies, Bond’s preparedness means that he has to be ready to jump into action, given the franchise’s genre. With Knives Out, Benoit Blanc’s perceptiveness has undertones of comedy, as these movies demonstrate satirical elements. Playing Snow, Craig would still be portraying someone who is very intelligent but has specifically honed this natural skill to serve his goals of being a cruel leader with an iron grip on the country.
Craig also played the shrewd journalist Mikael Blomkvist in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, highly praised for his performance despite the franchise being cut short. His character Lord Asriel in The Golden Compass has some shades of villainy; while this franchise also didn’t make it past the first movie, Craig doubtlessly knew about the crimes Asriel would commit and incorporated this kind of determination into his performance. Being able to subtly convey always playing the long game is a vital part of Snow’s character.
6 Alastair Mackenzie
Known For The Crown (2016-2023) & Andor (2022-2025)
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Another lesser-known option to play Snow worthy of consideration is Alastair Mackenzie, primarily known for guest roles in major TV shows and some work with Disney. Most recently, Mackenzie joined the Star Wars universe as Mon Mothma’s husband Perrin Fertha, ignorant of his wife’s rebel activities. Perrin is not just clueless about what Mon is doing but about the Empire as well, enjoying their wealth and status without much consideration of others’ suffering. The character’s entitlement could be useful if Mackenzie were cast as Snow.
However, Perrin is definitely a more carefree character, but Mackenzie’s career showcases his ability to bring the necessary seriousness to The Hunger Games. He played a kindly but diligent supporting character in Cruella, covertly rescuing Estella as a child from her cruel mother. He has appeared in other ever more dramatic and intense series such as The Crown and Dracula, bringing him closer to the world of The Hunger Games.
5 Hugo Weaving
Known For The Matrix (1999), The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring (2001), & V For Vendetta (2005)
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Hugo Weaving is one of the preeminent villain actors in Hollywood history, always playing amazingly grandiose, chilling characters. Everyone’s minds will immediately go to Agent Smith, as Weaving’s performance is an iconic part of The Matrix. Hugo has mastered the unfeeling delivery of lines that demonstrate how his characters exist beyond normal life. A belief in his own superiority is also an aspect of Snow, as he believes that in a dog-eat-dog world, he is one of the few with the determination and insight to prevail.
Hugo has mastered the unfeeling delivery of lines that demonstrate how his characters exist beyond normal life.
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Snow is more human than Smith, or at least more interested in acting like he is human. However, Weaving’s extensive career proves that he can play villains who both understand thought based on compassion and emotion but reject it. Even Elrond, although he is a heroic character in The Lord of the Rings, is somewhat detached from the priorities of mortals. Overall, Weaving has the larger-than-life on-screen quality that Snow might need for another movie.
4 Mark Strong
Known For Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014) & 1917 (2019)
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Mark Strong has played many intimidating characters in positions of authority, including those in The Imitation Game, Robin Hood, and Zero Dark Thirty. These titles, as well as 1917 and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, are based on real-life military and espionage, with some being more action-oriented, making them different from the demands of playing Snow. However, conveying authority and intelligence is still important to the character’s story, and it would be fascinating to see Strong further develop some of the character archetypes he has worked with before.
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Namely, Snow is not a soldier by the time of Sunrise on the Reaping, having moved on to the world of carefully moving one piece across the chessboard at a time. On the other hand, Strong’s characters trend toward at least having some noble intentions, while Snow is undeniably a tyrant; this represents another character adjustment it would be amazing to see Strong achieve. However, his ability to play classic villains has been proven, such as when he portrayed the evil Lord Blackwood in Sherlock Holmes.
3 Tom Hollander
Known For Pride & Prejudice (2005) & Feud (2024)
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Tom Hollander is certainly remembered for characters associated with some amount of pomp and circumstance, acting experiences that could serve him well in The Hunger Games, when Snow is almost single-handedly responsible for the Games becoming the disgustingly overblown spectacle that it is. This includes the villain role of Cutler Beckett in Pirates of the Caribbean and the undesirable suitor Mr. Collins in Pride & Prejudice. Both characters are unlikable in an impeccable way.
Hollander’s latest noteworthy role was as the famous author Truman Capote in Feud: Capote vs. the Swan, a character who is much more outgoing and dramatic than Snow would be. On the other hand, his The White Lotus character Quentin is more mysterious in his scheming, much more akin to the Hunger Games villain. Hollander has a wide variety of experience, but playing a poised character in the context of an “Eat the Rich” series, in particular, speaks to his suitability to join Sunrise on the Reaping.
2 Christian Bale
Known For The Dark Knight (2008), American Hustle (2013), & Ford V Ferrari (2019)
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Many people might still primarily associate Christian Bale with The Dark Knight, but his career has gone far beyond typical love interests and classic superheroes, covering themes of ambition and corruption that resonate with Snow. The most obvious example of this would be his Oscar-nominated performance in American Hustle as a con man pulled into a government entrapment scheme. This was not his last time working with David O. Russell, as he reunited with the director for Amsterdam, nor his last political drama, as he was nominated again for his performance in Vice.
However, Bale’s general versatility is astounding, making for an argument that he should not be counted out for any role. He might not be known for playing straightforward villains — even Gorr in Thor: Love and Thunder is very sympathetic — but this only makes the possibility of him playing such a character even more exciting. Bale completely transforms and commits every time he takes on a new character, and would doubtlessly do the same with Snow.
1 Jason Isaacs
Known For Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets (2002) & The Death Of Stalin (2017)
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Like Ifans, Jason Isaacs is known for a character who could essentially be lifted out of his previous movies and recast as Snow, with some minor tweaks, and it would be true to the president’s characterization. Lucius Malfoy is one of the biggest recurring villains of the Harry Potter series, who has a very elegant, respectable persona that he wields as a weapon. Even in the middle of a fight, Lucius’ approach is careful negotiation; he has made himself one of the most powerful people in wizard Britain through his wealth and sociability to achieve his ends.
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Lucius’ character also includes the subplot of how his family plays into his plans, although perhaps unlike Snow, he will put his wife and son first. In addition to Harry Potter, Isaacs’ career spans many other dramatic and villainous roles that make him more than qualified to play President Snow in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. The character has been played by two great actors and is inextricably linked to Sutherland’s legacy, making recasting and playing him a major undertaking for many people.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping
Release Date November 20, 2026
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