Kyle Meredith With...

Francis Lawrence joins Kyle Meredith to talk about The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, the prequel that stars Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler and serves as an origin story to villain Coriolanus Snow and takes place 64 years before the Jennifer Lawrence-starring run of the story. The director, who was also behind Catching Fire and both Mockingjays, discusses how music has a much bigger focus this time around, working with Dave Cobb to bring the songs to life, and casting Rachel Zegler, who performs the hell out of them on screen, as well as getting to hear about the origins of “The Hanging Tree,” which Jennifer Lawrence famously sang before. Lawrence also tells us what it was like to tell a story where we know - at least somewhat - how it will end, along with the reflections of bigger social and political themes that serve as its undercurrent. Rounding out the main cast are Jason Schwartzman, Viola Davis, and Peter Dinklage, all of whom give incredible performances, and Lawrence even tips us of