'The Hunger Games' will feature two new President Snow scenes

Next month's adaptation of Suzanne Collins' "The Hunger Games" will include two scenes featuring President Coriloanus Snow that were not in the best-selling novel.

Donald Sutherland

According to Entertainment Weekly, actor Donald Sutherland ("The Mechanic"), who is portraying Snow in the upcoming film, wrote to director Gary Ross seeking the role.

"It was a long thoughtful analysis of the way power is wielded and why, how it controls people and what the use of the Games were and how pernicious they were and the way that they were used as an instrument of political control," Ross told EW. "It was so eloquent and brilliant that it actually inspired me to write two extra scenes for him that I think are pivotal in the movie and that Suzanne really loves."

Ross said he came up with the new scenes while filming in Asheville, N.C.

"So I sat down in this chair and stared at the lake and came up with these two scenes," he said. "And I realized that not only were the scenes vital but they actually fit a piece that was missing. That was a gift I got from the actor."

Snow has a limited role in "The Hunger Games" novel but is featured much more prominently in the two sequels, "Catching Fire" and "Mockingjay."

"The Hunger Games" will hit theaters March 23.

Donald Sutherland is President Snow in 'The Hunger Games'

Donald Sutherland is the latest to join Lionsgate's "The Hunger Game" film with the announcement he will play President Snow.

Donald Sutherland

Snow is the leader of Panem, which puts on the Hunger Games, an annual fight to death involving two children chosen from each of the 12 districts of the country.

Sutherland, whose career spans almost 50 years, was most recently seen in "The Mechanic" and "The Eagle."

"The Hunger Games" trilogy, written by Suzanne Collins, follows Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence, "Winter's Bone") and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson, "Bridge to Terabithia"), who are the tributes from District 12 in the 74th games.

Sutherland also joins Lenny Kravitz ("Precious"), Woody Harrelson ("Zombieland"), Liam Hemsworth ("The Last Song"), Elizabeth Banks ("The Next Three Days"), Paula Malcomson ("Sons of Anarchy"), Wes Bentley ("American Beauty"), Stanley Tucci ("The Lovely Bones") and newcomer Willow Shields ("Beyond the Blackboard").

"The Hunger Games" is being directed by Gary Ross ("Seabiscuit," "Pleasantville") based on a screenplay from Bill Ray ("State of Play"). It is set for a March 23, 2012, release and is expected to be rated PG-13.