New Hunger Games image arrives

The Hunger Games has released another new image of one of its key players, with Donald Sutherland taking centre stage as the villainous President Snow.

The President is the autocratic ruler of Panem, and despite his smooth public persona, he’s not a very nice chap. After all, it is he who insists on the sadistic practice of pitting teenagers against each other in a televised fight to the death!

Sutherland looks suitably heartless in this new snap, coming off as a cross between a slippery politician and a demented preacher. Sticking with the quasi-religious theme, that podium looks very much like a pulpit, doesn’t it?

The President doesn’t have a great deal of involvement in the series’ first book, so we won’t be expecting to see too much of Sutherland first time around. However, he becomes a more significant player as the trilogy progresses, with his iron-fist style of leadership coming to the fore as Katniss's rebellion gathers pace.

The Hunger Games opens in the UK on 23 March 2012. Tired of watching perma-tanned halfwits talk garbage on national television? The Hunger Games ’ brand of reality telly could be right up your street...

George Wales

George was once GamesRadar's resident movie news person, based out of London. He understands that all men must die, but he'd rather not think about it. But now he's working at Stylist Magazine.