The recast of President Coriolanus Snow for is a sad reminder of Donald Sutherland. In the four original Hunger Games movies, . His performance is widely considered to be among the best in the movies through his ability to capture the character's cruelty, manipulative nature, air of superiority, and how much he revels in the suffering of others.

The latest Hunger Games book, Sunrise on the Reaping, expands President Snow's story during the second Quarter Quell, which is the Hunger Games that Haymitch Abernathy goes on to win. Like all the other previous books, it is being adapted into a movie. The Sunrise on the Reaping cast now includes Ralph Fiennes in the role of President Snow, which is a promising casting choice while also being a sad reminder of Donald Sutherland's passing.

Sunrise on the Reaping's casting of President Snow is a reminder of Sutherland passing away on June 20, 2024. From M*A*S*H to The Hunger Games, Sutherland had an extensive, diverse, and impressive career, and his passing was a tragic loss. It and that there would be a movie adaptation as well. With the book not releasing until March 18, 2025, casting had not started at the time of Sutherland's passing, and only began after the novel's release.

Snow was already recast for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, with Tom Blyth playing the role in The Hunger Games timeline 64 years before the events of the first book and movie. The prequel tells the story of Snow shaping the Hunger Games into the spectacle that it will become, along with beginning to chart the course to becoming the dictator of Panem. Sunrise on the Reaping is another prequel, but with it being , even before Sutherland's tragic passing.

Some of Sutherland's dialogue as President Snow was incorporated into The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes' ending, which features him saying the line "It's the things we love most that destroy us," which is first heard in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1. There is still a possibility of Sutherland's previous Snow dialogue being incorporated into the Sunrise on the Reaping movie in a similar way, or the adaptation may find other unique ways to honor the actor's enduring legacy despite the inevitable recast.

Prior to Fiennes' casting being confirmed, Kiefer Sutherland was widely considered to be the perfect President Snow recasting that would honor Donald Sutherland's Hunger Games legacy. The decision to cast Fiennes was still made with Sutherland in mind, though, with producer Nina Jacobson explaining that they . Jacobson also mentioned the lasting impact Fiennes' Schindlier's List performance left on her, which makes him well-suited to play another iconic villain. Read her comments below:

We wanted to honor Donald Sutherland by having one of this generation’s greatest actors play President Snow 24 years before Katniss Everdeen entered the arena. Working with Ralph has been on my bucket list since he traumatized me for life in Schindler’s List. It’s genuinely a thrill to welcome him to the Hunger Games.

Sutherland was already one of the best actors in Hollywood for several decades before he made his Hunger Games debut. Between Schindler's List, the Harry Potter movies, The Menu, Conclave, and many other notable films, . Amon Göth and Voldemort are two of cinema's most memorable villains, and now Fiennes will add yet another one to his repertoire as Snow, who has some of his most villainous moments yet in .