Jennifer Lawrence & Josh Hutcherson Will Return For The Hunger Games Prequel Movie

The odds are in our favor. A new Hunger Games movie is on the horizon — an adaptation of author Suzanne Collins’ latest book in the franchise, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. The book just dropped in March, but plans for a film were confirmed well before its release.

“Suzanne Collins is a master storyteller and our creative north star,” Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chair Adam Fogelson said in June 2024, when the new novel and film were both announced. “We couldn't be more fortunate than to be guided and trusted by a collaborator whose talent and imagination are so consistently brilliant.”

Sunrise on the Reaping details the journey of Haymitch Abernathy, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark’s mentor in the original books. It’s the second prequel in the Hunger Games universe, following The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which told President Snow’s origin story.

Read on for everything to know about the Sunrise On The Reaping movie, including the release date, cast announcements, and more.

Sunrise On The Reaping Cast & Crew

On April 23, Lionsgate announced the first Sunrise on the Reaping cast members on the official Hunger Games social media platforms.

Joseph Zada will play the lead role of young Haymitch Abernathy, played by Woody Harrelson in the original films.

Whitney Peak — best known for playing Zoya on HBO Max’s Gossip Girl reboot — has been cast as Haymitch’s love interest, Lenore Dove Baird. Lenore is the descendant of Lucy Gray, who was played by Rachel Zegler in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

The following day, it was revealed that Mckenna Grace will take on the role of Maysilee Donner, one of Haymitch’s fellow District 12 tributes. 

On April 25, Lionsgate announced that Jesse Plemons will play Plutarch Heavensbee — a Games worker who secretly sides with the Districts — in the upcoming prequel. The role was originated by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman.

A couple of weeks later, Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Maya Hawke were cast as Beetee and Wiress, respectively; both are victors who end up aiding Haymitch in the Games. (Jeffery Wright and Amanda Plummer played the characters in the original series.) The news was revealed at midnight and noon, in a nod to the characters’ storylines in the second Hunger Games film, Catching Fire.

In the following hours and days, a flurry of announcements followed: Lili Taylor would play Mags Flanagan, a winner-turned-mentor portrayed by the late Lynn Cohen in Catching Fire; Ben Wang was cast as Wyatt Callow, another one of Haymitch’s fellow District 12 tributes; and Ralph Fiennes would take on the role of President Snow. Fiennes will follow in the footsteps of the late Donald Sutherland, who portrayed an elderly Snow in the first four films, and Tom Blyth, who played him as a high schooler in Songbirds and Snakes.

On May 20, Molly McCaan and Iona Bell were cast as Louella McCoy and Lou Lou, respectively — two versions of the same District 12 tribute. Later that day, it was announced that Elle Fanning would step into the heels of Effie Trinket — Elizabeth Banks’ role from the original series — who, as it turns out, was Haymitch’s stylist in the Games.

Nearly a month later, the Hunger Games social media accounts confirmed two more castings. Glenn Close will take on the role of Drusilla Sickle, the District 12 tributes’ villainous Games escort, while Billy Porter will play their incompetent stylist, Magno Stift.

Will Any Hunger Games Stars Return?

The first Hunger Games prequel movie didn’t feature any stars from the original films, but that’ll change this time. On Dec. 10, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson will appear in Sunrise on the Reaping, reprising their iconic roles of Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mallark, respectively.

While details about their return are being kept under wraps, fans who have read Sunrise on the Reaping know the book ends with an epilogue featuring present-day Katniss and Peeta, who listen as Haymitch recounts his own Hunger Games story.

Therefore, it’s possible that Lawrence and Hutcherson will appear in flash-forward scenes — and it’s possible that Harrelson will step back into Haymitch’s shoes, too. However, Harrelson’s return has not been confirmed.

Sunrise On The Reaping Trailer

On Nov. 20, exactly a year before the film’s scheduled premiere, Lionsgate unveiled the first teaser trailer for The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping — providing fans an early sneak peek, before filming even wraps. The new teaser opens with Close’s Drusilla being wheeled out to conduct the reaping, before Zada’s Haymitch and more tributes line up in the countdown for the 50th Hunger Games.

The studio also unveiled new first-look photos, previewing scenes of Haymitch getting picked for the Hunger Games and saying goodbye to Peak’s Lenore Dove, as well as a battle scene involving him and Grace’s Maysilee.

Sunrise On The Reaping Plot

Sunrise On The Reaping is set 24 years before the original Hunger Games book and tells Haymitch’s story before, during, and after the 50th Hunger Games, outlining how he became Katniss and Peeta’s drunken-yet-lovable mentor. A key feature is his relationship with his girlfriend, Lenore Dove, which was never mentioned in the original books.

Haymitch’s Games featured twice the normal number of participants, meaning Haymitch was one of four tributes who were selected to represent District 12. His fellow tributes are “a young friend who’s like a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker and the most uppity girl in town,” per the book’s synopsis.

Francis Lawrence, who has directed every film in the Hunger Games franchise except for the first, will once again return to helm Sunrise on the Reaping. Billy Ray, the screenwriter behind the original 2012 film, will write the script.

Sunrise On The Reaping Release Date

The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping is scheduled to premiere in theaters on Nov. 20, 2026, just a year and a half after the novel was published. Within the franchise, this will be the quickest-ever turnaround between a book’s publication and the release of its accompanying film.

This article will be updated as more information becomes available.