‘Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ snags SAG-AFTRA interim agreement

The Hunger Games prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes has received an interim agreement from SAG-AFTRA, giving stars Rachel Zegler, Tom Blyth, Viola Davis, Peter Dinklage and Hunter Schafer the go-ahead to promote the film ahead of its November 17 theatrical release, according to Variety.

The agreement could provide a much needed boost to the film that cost $100 million to make. It’s also the first installment in the billion-dollar franchise in eight years and the first without Jennifer Lawrence. 

Films that haven’t gotten interim agreements — such as Sony’s comedy Dumb Money, with Seth Rogen, Pete Davidson and America Ferrera — have struggled at the box office due to the stars’ inability to talk up the films on late-night talk shows and walk the red carpet. Other big budget movies, like Dune: Part Two, have moved their release dates to 2024.

So far, more than 100 films, including Priscilla and Ferrari, have obtained interim agreements amid the SAG-AFTRA strike, per Variety. To get an interim agreement, producers must operate independently from companies belonging to the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and agree to terms proposed by the guild in its negotiations.