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Glenn Close Joins 'The Hunger Games'
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Eight-time Oscar nominee Glenn Close is coming to the world of Panem. The "Tehran" star has been cast as the cruel District 12 escort Drusilla in the upcoming "The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping".
Joining Close is Billy Porter who will play her estranged husband Magno Stift.
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Close and Porter are now part of a cast that includes Joseph Zada, Whitney Peak, Mckenna Grace, Jesse Plemons, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Maya Hawke, Lili Taylor, Ben Wang, Ralph Fiennes, Elle Fanning and Kieran Culkin.
Glenn Close in "Guardians of the Galaxy".
Glenn Close in "Guardians of the Galaxy".
DISNEY
"The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping" is based on the most recent novel in the series by Suzanne Collins. The film will be directed by Francis Lawrence from a script by Billy Ray. Lawrence has helmed all of "The Hunger Games" films save for the very first one, which was directed by Gary Ross.
Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpsonare are producing. Cameron MacConomy will executive produce.
About Close's casting, Jacobson said, "Glenn Close is a dream Drusilla. She brings so much of her intellect and imagination to each role, creating characters who are unforgettable and iconic. I think Glenn and Francis will have a ball bringing Drusilla from the page to the screen."
Jacobson also commented on Porter, adding, "Billy is one of those rare performers who can dazzle and devastate in equal measure on stage and screen. He made an indelible impression on me when we worked together on 'Pose', both as an actor and a human being."
"Casting this show has felt like winning the lottery every time one of our idols said yes to us. To be able to announce Glenn Close and Billy Porter together is an embarrassment of riches that we can all celebrate."
Like its predecessor, "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes", "Sunrise on the Reaping" is a prequel. It takes place 24 years before the events of the first "Hunger Games" novel. The more recent novel, which released on March 18, opens on the morning of the reaping of the Fiftieth Hunger Games.
"The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping" will be the sixth film in "The Hunger Games series. So far, the films have amassed $3.3 billion at the box office.
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