Rachel Zegler Recreated An Iconic Hunger Games Fashion Moment

Rachel Zegler knew exactly what to wear to make her grand debut in the Hunger Games universe. When the star of the new prequel film The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes hit the red carpet at the movie’s premiere in Berlin, she exuded Katniss Everdeen energy in a dress inspired by the most memorable fashion moment in the original saga. That’s right — there’s a new girl on fire, because Zegler seriously turned up the heat.

Any Hunger Games stan could catch the reference in Zegler’s dress on first glance. The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes star wore a custom Alexander McQueen gown to the Nov. 5 premiere. On top, the gown is a simple, sleek black dress, but its mermaid tail then ignites into an explosion of fiery red.

The outfit is a knowing recreation of what is probably the most iconic fashion piece in all of the Hunger Games movies. In Catching Fire, Katniss is forced to wear a wedding gown to curry favor among her supporters, but her stylist Cinna rigs the dress to go up in flames and reveal a striking mockingjay outfit, the symbol of her rebellion.

Zegler’s dress may not resemble Katniss’ wedding look very much, but the message of the burning dress is clear. In the Hunger Games movies, flames went on to become a staple of Katniss’ pre-Games clothing, earning her the nickname “girl on fire.” It’s almost as if Zegler herself is viewing this red carpet as her own induction into the Hunger Games.

Zegler plays Lucy Gray in The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, a District 12 tribute whose message would later go on to inspire Katniss’ rebellion over 60 years later in The Hunger Games series.

The movie, based on Suzanne Collins’ 2020 book, will explore Lucy’s complicated relationship with her politically savvy mentor Coriolanus Snow during the 10th annual Hunger Games. Of course, Snow goes on to become the tyrannical leader of the Capitol in the Hunger Games movies, so this prequel will offer tons of insight into how the films’ main antagonist became so evil.