Ralph Fiennes has been chosen to play President Coriolanus Snow in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, set to premiere in theaters on November 20, 2026, and longtime fans are buzzing about the news. With his reputation for delivering intense and memorable villains, the decision to cast Fiennes promises an exciting and emotionally charged addition to the Hunger Games universe, especially as he steps into a role traditionally portrayed with gravitas by Donald Sutherland.
Why Ralph Fiennes Is a Natural Choice for President Snow
The casting announcement immediately drew attention as Fiennes will follow Donald Sutherland’s iconic portrayal of President Snow across four previous Hunger Games films. Sutherland imprinted the character with a steely charisma, becoming synonymous with Panem’s ruthless leader. Tom Blyth previously played a much younger Snow in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, brilliantly presenting an early version of the character less shaped by the cruelty he would come to embody.
Ralph Fiennes is expected to bridge the gap between these earlier interpretations and the cold, calculating dictator that audiences recognize. Sunrise on the Reaping, which unfolds 24 years before the original Hunger Games, will center around Haymitch Abernathy—portrayed by Joseph Zada—and his ordeal in the Games, with Fiennes’s Snow wielding power and influence in Panem. Fiennes’ celebrated work as a villain across decades makes him especially suited for this chapter in the saga, promising a performance that echoes the intensity and authority of his predecessors.
Fiennes’ Legendary Villains: How Each Performance Prepares Him for Snow
Ralph Fiennes’ skill at portraying complex antagonists is vast, and several of his past roles have prepared him for embodying President Snow’s multifaceted villainy. Here are five characters that showcase exactly why Fiennes is the perfect fit for the Hunger Games prequel:
1. Mastering Darkness as Lord Voldemort
As Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter films from 2005 to 2011, Fiennes delivered a performance that redefined the character’s cinematic presence. He embodied Voldemort’s pursuit of power, committing to a portrayal that resonated with a menacing authenticity. Through chilling dialogue and explosive clashes, Fiennes captured the very essence of evil—establishing himself as the definitive Voldemort despite other actors having played versions of the character.
Successfully adapting such a notorious book villain to film gives fans every reason to anticipate an equally compelling President Snow. Much like Voldemort, Snow is a figure defined by an unflinching desire for dominance, and Fiennes’ ability to render that power both real and ominous offers continuity from one beloved franchise to another.
2. Unsettling Realism as Amon Goeth
In Steven Spielberg’s 1993 classic Schindler’s List, Fiennes took on the harrowing role of Amon Goeth, the SS commandant overseeing the Kraków-Płaszów concentration camp during Nazi-occupied Poland. Sharing screen time with Liam Neeson’s Oskar Schindler, Fiennes created a chilling portrait of evil that draws from the darkest corners of human capacity. His performance moved seamlessly between composed conversation and acts of shocking cruelty, making Goeth one of the most memorable villains drawn from history.
Although President Snow is a fictional character, his brand of authoritarian cruelty closely mirrors that of real-life figures like Goeth. Audiences can expect Fiennes to bring both a charismatic façade and a ruthless core to Snow, heightening the character’s impact in Sunrise on the Reaping.
3. Subtle Malevolence as Chef Julian Slowik
In the 2022 thriller The Menu, Fiennes starred as Julian Slowik, a world-renowned chef orchestrating a darkly satirical evening of fine dining on a secluded island. As the night’s events unravel, guests find themselves at the mercy of his twisted plans. Fiennes delivered a performance that balanced genuine threat with glimpses of lost passion, creating a character as layered as the menu itself. Even as Slowik takes chilling actions, the audience is drawn into the humanity and complexity beneath his exterior.
President Snow is driven by a cold indifference to suffering, but Fiennes’s ability to blend cruelty with underlying emotion hints at a version of Snow that is as multifaceted as he is formidable. This duality—being able to command both fear and a begrudging respect—will likely be central to his portrayal in Sunrise on the Reaping.
4. Channeling Power and Intimidation as Hades
Fiennes brought extraordinary presence to the role of Hades, god of the underworld, in 2010’s Clash of the Titans and its sequel Wrath of the Titans. Despite the films’ mixed reception, critics and audiences alike singled out his imposing turn as Hades for praise. On screen, Fiennes radiated an air of danger and showed a hunger for vengeance and dominance that few actors could match. The character’s lust for power and willingness to intimidate or punish translates directly to the type of authority that defines President Snow.
Fans are also speculating about Fiennes’ appearance as Snow—his bearded look as Hades provides an intriguing point of comparison for how he might visually inhabit the President in the upcoming film.
5. Exploring Unhinged Evil as Francis Dolarhyde
Red Dragon (2002), adapted from Thomas Harris’s acclaimed novel, cast Fiennes as Francis Dolarhyde—a terrifying serial killer known as “The Tooth Fairy.” Pitted against Anthony Hopkins’s Hannibal Lecter, Fiennes vividly portrayed a man driven by twisted motives, exhibiting shocking bursts of violence and a fragile, disturbed psyche. Dolarhyde’s actions, from kidnappings to arson and murder, highlighted Fiennes’s range in delivering disturbed and compelling antagonist performances.
While President Snow prefers measured strategy to open madness, Fiennes’s turn as Dolarhyde demonstrates his comfort navigating the spectrum of evil. His ability to make even the most extreme or chilling actions feel grounded in character will serve him—and the story of Sunrise on the Reaping—well.
What to Expect from Fiennes as President Snow in Sunrise on the Reaping
Sunrise on the Reaping is set 24 years before the first Hunger Games, focusing on Haymitch Abernathy’s survival in the deadly arena and Panem’s world under Snow’s influence. With Joseph Zada portraying Haymitch and Ralph Fiennes leading as President Snow, expectations for nuanced character clashes are high. Fans of both the film series and Suzanne Collins’s novels are eager to see if Fiennes will echo Donald Sutherland’s memorable approach or reimagine Snow entirely.
The movie will delve into crucial events that shape the future of Panem, explaining how Snow’s iron grip on power and manipulation of those around him originated. Given Fiennes’s experience channeling villainous authority, alongside his proven skill at blending menace with complexity, this portrayal is already being positioned as a major draw for the franchise’s next era.
When The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping hits theaters next year, Ralph Fiennes’s transformation into President Snow is set to redefine one of modern fiction’s most infamous antagonists. Moviegoers, supporters of the saga, and critics alike are waiting to see how this new chapter unfolds—and how Fiennes’s chilling performance will shape the legacy of Panem’s most notorious leader.
