How Snow Takes Center Stage in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Snow is ready for his close up.

After all, while The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes once again sees a District 12 tribute and Coriolanus Snow face off, in the Hunger Games prequel it's a younger iteration of Panem's future president, played by Tom Blyth, who serves as the film's center. 

"I will say the biggest difference," director Francis Lawrence, who also directed three of the original Hunger Games films, exclusively told E! News, "is that the true protagonist of this is Snow, is Tom Blyth. That's the big change. We've made young Snow the protagonist of this."

And for Lawrence, the 28-year-old more than rose to the occasion. 

"For me, without giving too many spoilers," he revealed, "there's a scene almost near the very end in the forest with Snow when he's going dark. There's very, very little dialogue. And I think Tom's performance is just phenomenal."

In fact, it proved crucial for the Red Sparrow director.

"It was a moment that was probably six, eight weeks into our production," Lawrence explained. "It was where A, I was so impressed with his performance. But I also felt like, 'Wow, this ending is really going to work.' And I felt like the work we had put into the adaptation and choosing the right guy to play Snow and seeing this transformation, it was super exciting to me."

After helming several Hunger Games films, Lawrence is more than familiar with the world of Panem. However, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes winds back the clock more than 60 years to see an 18-year-old Coriolanus assigned to mentor tribute Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler) ahead of the 10^th Hunger Games.

And that relationship will forever alter the course of his life—ultimately leading to his face-off with yet another District 12 tribute.

But despite the faint echoes of Katniss in Lucy Gray, Lawrence stressed that the District 12 heroines are largely distinct from one another.

"I think the two sort of common connections between the two is they're both very smart. And they're both survivors," he noted. "I think the way they survive, and the way that they move through life is very different."

"Katniss is more of an introvert," Lawrence continued. "She's a hunter, whereas you have somebody like Lucy Gray, she's a performer, she's charismatic. She flirts. She knows how to manipulate, she's a little more mercurial. Definitely extroverted. So the way they sort of manipulate and survive is very, very different."

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which also stars Hunter Schafer, Josh Andrés Rivera, Peter Dinklage and Viola Davis, is out now in theaters.

And for a sneak peek of what you'll see in the prequel film, keep reading. 

Lionsgate released a first look at the dramatic dystopian movie based on Suzanne Collins' book.

A first look at the nomadic singer Lucy Gray Baird, played by Rachel Zegler in Songbirds & Snakes.

Lucy Gray is assigned Capitol citizen Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) as her mentor in the 10th annual Hunger Games.

Chemistry is catching fire between the young pair.

The nomadic singer appears in the rural district in the prequel film.

A first look at a young Tigris (Euphoria's Hunter Schafer) who lives on to see the 75th Hunger Games as she appears in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2. 

Lucretius "Lucky" Flickerman (Jason Schwartzman) is an on-air weathercaster for the Capitol before he is tapped to act as host of the 10th Hunger Games. 

Sejanus Plinth (Josh Andrés Rivera) and Coriolanus strike up a friendship in the Capitol's Academy. 

Casca Highbottom (Peter Dinklage) is Dean of the Academy and runs the first ever mentorship program for the Hunger Games—but a past connection to the Games may prove to be too much. 

In addition to being an instructor at the Academy, Dr. Volumnia Gaul (Viola Davis) acts as the Head Gamemaker for the 10th Hunger Games and is known for her muttations. 

The 10th Hunger Games might look different for seasoned fans, but they will prove to be the most important for the Capitol yet.