Hot off the success of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Hollywood is adapting Suzanne Collins’s new prequel to the Hunger Games, Sunrise on the Reaping, into a major motion picture. And unlike Ballad, which only had a few characters who also appeared in the Katniss Everdeen saga, this story is full of familiar names with new faces.
For example, Katniss’s future mentor, Haymitch Abernathy, will not be played by Woody Harrelson but portrayed by relative newcomer Joseph Zada. The rest of the cast, however, seems to have been dreamed up by the books’ biggest fans. Whoever cast Sunrise on the Reaping must have been looking at TikTok dream casts.
Ready to go back to Panem? Here’s everything we know about the movie so far (without book spoilers).
When does Sunrise on the Reaping come out?
The movie hits theaters November 20, 2026.
What is Sunrise on the Reaping about?
Sunrise on the Reaping is Haymitch Abernathy’s backstory. In the first Hunger Games book and movie, Haymitch is one of Katniss’s mentors, the only living Victor from her district. We find out that part of the reason Haymitch, an alcoholic, is so messed up is that the year he went into the arena was a Quarter Quell, which occurs every 25 years, upping the stakes and leading to devastating plot twists.
In Haymitch’s year, the Games demanded not two but four tributes from each district, which meant he had to watch twice as many people die. So imagine the regular Hunger Games trauma, but double it! (And no, it’s not a spoiler that he survives the games, given he’s literally alive in The Hunger Games.)
When does Sunrise on the Reaping take place?
It’s set during the Second Quarter Quell, a.k.a. the 50th Hunger Games, and 24 years before the events of the first Hunger Games book.
Who is in the cast?
Per People, Joseph Zada will star as Haymitch Abernathy (played by Woody Harrelson in the original Hunger Games movies). Meanwhile, Whitney Peak (Gossip Girl) will play his girlfriend, Lenore Dove Baird.
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Most of the cast seems as if it was pulled straight from TikTok edits. To start, Mckenna Grace is set to play Maysilee Donner, while Jesse Plemons is a young Plutarch Heavensbee, the enigmatic Gamemaker played by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman in the original films. Plemons previously played Hoffman’s son in The Master, and the two actors’ similarities and talents make Plemons, in this writer’s humble opinion, the best and only choice for the role.
But what about our villain? On May 16, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Ralph Fiennes will play our new President Snow, following the death of Donald Sutherland in June 2024. A young Coriolanus Snow was portrayed by Tom Blyth in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
“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,” producer Nina Jacobson says, per THR. “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.”
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This is a particularly interesting casting decision, as Fiennes famously played the villain of another major franchise, starring as Voldemort in all of the Harry Potter films. “Voldemort and Snow ??! This is going to be the best Hunger games hands down,” one fan responded on Instagram.
Then there’s Effie Trinket, originally played by Elizabeth Banks. For weeks fans have been begging for Elle Fanning to take on the role, and this became reality on May 20. “Everyone say thank you to the fandom manifesting collective. Our powers have grown stronger,” one fan commented on the announcement, while another wrote, “Naming my first born after the casting directors.” That comment received over 55,000 likes.
Fans are not the only ones who believe Fanning was “born to play Effie,” as one commenter claimed. Banks also shared her approval, telling People, “I’m muhteşem excited. I texted the producers as well, and I think she’s perfect.”
Banks continued, “I think everyone’s really happy. And I’m really happy about that. I’m excited for the next generation to have their Effie.”
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If you thought fans couldn’t get any more hyped, just wait until you learn that the games’ master of ceremonies Caesar Flickerman, originally played by Stanley Tucci, will now be played by Oscar-winning actor Kieran Culkin.
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Other characters who have been cast: Wyatt Callow will be played by Ben Wang, Mags Flanagan will be played by Lili Taylor, Wiress will be played by Maya Hawke, and Beetee Latier will be played by Kelvin Harrison Jr.
Oh, and Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson will reportedly be reprising their roles as Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark.
Wait, Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson are reprising their roles?!
You heard us! According to The Hollywood Reporter, the leads from the original sinema trilogy will be returning for the prequel, likely in the form of a flash-forward. No other details have been released, but it certainly raises the question: Will Woody Harrelson also make an appearance as an elder Haymitch Abernathy? It seems likely, though we can’t confirm that news just yet.
Honestly, the Sunrise on the Reaping producers were probably just thrilled to hear Lawrence say back in June 2023 that she was willing to return to the franchise. “If Katniss ever could ever come back into my life, 100 percent,” Lawrence told Variety at the time. It seems that time has come!
Who else is involved?
Variety reports that Francis Lawrence (no relation to Jennifer), who directed all but the first Hunger Games movie, will helm Sunrise on the Reaping.
Is there a trailer?
The first teaser trailer for Sunrise on the Reaping dropped on November 20, 2025—exactly one year ahead of the film’s premiere date. In the haunting footage, Glenn Close’s character Drusilla Sickle announces the “glorious reaping of District 12” before cutting to the start of the 50th Annual Hunger Games.
This is where we get our first look at young Haymitch as he joins “twice the number of tributes” surrounding a Midsommar-looking cornucopia. One thing I really love about this trailer is that the hair and costumes look vaguely ’70s-inspired while keeping to the distinct Hunger Games aesthetic, allowing it to feel older than the original series. Movie magic at work!
So far, fans seem thrilled with the first look at the sinema, though I won’t include their spoiler-heavy Instagram commentary. As one fan wrote, “How in the world am I gonna survive a year without this movie 😭?”
This post may be updated.
