The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes has tapped legendary four-time Emmy-winning actor Peter Dinklage to join the cast. He is scheduled to play the Dean of the Academy, Casca Highbottom. Francis Lawrence is returning to direct the film. Lawrence is a well weathered Hunger Games director, having worked on Catching Fire and both Mockingjay films.

Lawrence has stated he is ecstatic to have Dinklage on board. Highbottom is “one of the most powerful people in Snow’s life,” details the director. He describes the character as the “face of the games” and that whatever he rules “will determine every aspect of Coriolanus’ fate.”

The President of Lionsgate’s Motion Picture Group, Nathan Kahane, called Dinklage “one of the best actors alive” in a recent statement responding to the news breaking of Dinklage accepting the role. Dinklage is joining the ranks of Tom Blyth (Billy the Kid) as the young Coriolanus Snow, Rachel Zegler (West Side Story) as tribute Lucy Gray Baird, and Hunter Schafer (Euphoria) as Tigris Snow.

Production of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is currently underway, however no premiere date has been announced at this time.