The release of Suzanne Collins’ “Sunrise on the Reaping” marked a new dawn in the “Hunger Games” franchise.
The book, which hit shelves on March 19 and sold more than 1.5 million copies worldwide in its first week, is the second prequel to Collins’ immensely popular dystopian series, following the 2020 release of “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.“
“Sunrise on the Reaping” takes place several decades before the events of “The Hunger Games” trilogy and centers on a younger version of Haymitch Abernathy — played by Woody Harrelson in the original film franchise — as he fights for survival as a District 12 tribute in the Capitol arena.
Like “Ballad,” the latest installment reveals key lore about the world of Panem, and fortunately for fans, it’s also getting adapted for the big screen.
Here’s everything we know about the movie, from a release date to the first teaser trailer.
Some spoilers ahead for “Sunrise on the Reaping.”
‘Sunrise on the Reaping’ will be the 6th ‘Hunger Games’ movie
Prior to the book’s release, Lionsgate announced that it was turning the story into a feature film.
The news of the forthcoming movie was shared just hours after Collins announced in June 2024 that she was publishing another “Hunger Games” story.
At the time, Deadline reported that the film, “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping,” would be released on November 20, 2026.
Francis Lawrence, the filmmaker who helmed every movie in the series except the 2012 original, is directing the movie from a script adapted by Billy Ray.
Nina Jacobson and her producing partner, Brad Simpson, are confirmed to return and produce the prequel under their Color Force banner.
The day before “Sunrise on the Reaping” was published, Jacobson spoke to Variety about the coming adaptation. She told the outlet that her team had “a great draft” of the script still in progress and had “established our locations” for production.
“We’re very far along for a book that’s only going to come out tomorrow,” she said at the time.
Filming started in the summer of 2025
“Sunrise on the Reaping” is set to feature a massive cast thanks to the array of characters that appear in the novel. The Hunger Games that Haymitch is reaped into feature double the number of tributes competing, and Collins also introduces readers to characters in District 12 who have connections to the other books in the series. Plus, the novel features appearances by “Hunger Games” favorites such as Effie Trinket and Plutarch Heavensbee.
Lionsgate revealed the film’s cast on social media, showing snippets of the characters’ introduction in the novel bursting into flame to reveal the actor portraying them.
The ‘Sunrise on the Reaping’ cast includes:
- Haymitch Abernathy: Joseph Zada
- Lenore Dove Baird: Whitney Peak
- President Snow: Ralph Fiennes
- Effie Trinket: Elle Fanning
- Caesar Flickerman: Kieran Culkin
- Plutarch Heavensbee: Jesse Plemons
- Beetee Latier: Kelvin Harrison Jr.
- Wiress: Maya Hawke
- Mags Flanagan: Lili Taylor
- Maysilee Donner: Mckenna Grace
- Wyatt Callow: Ben Wang
- Louella McCoy: Molly McCann
- Lou Lou: Iona Bell
- Magno Stift: Billy Porter
- Drusilla Sickle: Glenn Close
- Panache: Jhaleil Swaby
- Ampert: Percy Daggs IV
- Silka: Laura Marcus
- Wellie: Rada Rae
- Maritte: Sky Frances
- Clayton: Salimou Thiam
- Ringina: Tatyana Muzondo
- Buck: John Doeble
- Kerna: Alina Reid
- Hull: Kaine Buffonge
- Willamae: Kara Tointon
- Sid: Smylie Bradwell
- Clerk Carmine: Jeffrey Hallman
- Woodbine: Serafin Mishiev
The film’s star, Zada, is a relative newcomer with just a handful of roles to his name. In March, Jacobson told Variety that her team was looking to Woody Harrelson, who played Haymitch in the original “Hunger Games” trilogy, for inspiration when casting their next star.
She said she hoped the actor who landed the role could capture the “mischief” Harrelson brought to the role without “impersonating” him.
“You want somebody who very credibly feels like they could be a young version of this character, before the trauma and grief and rage that the fallout of the Games create,” Jacobson said. “Nobody can be Woody Harrelson, but Woody Harrelson.”
Of the roles announced, Fiennes and Fanning’s castings arguably generated the most buzz.
Fiennes, who is no stranger to film franchises after playing Voldemort in the “Harry Potter” films, will be offering the third cinematic iteration of President Coriolanus Snow.
Fans followed Snow as a young man in the first prequel, in which Tom Blyth portrayed him, and as the aging villain in the three original “Hunger Games” films, played by Donald Sutherland. Snow is the primary antagonist in “Sunrise on the Reaping,” as he is in the original trilogy, and he makes some chilling appearances in the novel.
Elizabeth Banks played Effie Trinket, Katniss and Peeta’s handler from the Capitol, in the original “Hunger Games” trilogy, and the character appears as a young stylist in “Sunrise on the Reaping.” Fans were eager to see who would step into Banks’ shoes because her performance was so beloved in the films.
Plemons will be taking over as Plutarch for Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Jeffrey Wright played Beetee Latier before Kelvin Harrison Jr. Interestingly, both Plemons and Harrison previously played Hoffman and Wright’s children in other projects. Plemons was Hoffman’s son in the 2012 film “The Master,” and Harrison was Wright’s son in “Monster,” released in 2018.
Lawrence announced that filming for the project was set to begin in July 2025 when he attended CinemaCon, and Zada and Grace were spotted together in Spain that month.
Lionsgate released an official teaser trailer that promises ‘these games are going to be different’ in November 2025
On November 20, Lionsgate shared an official teaser trailer for the film to celebrate one year until its release.
The trailer gives viewers a glimpse of the arena for the 50th Hunger Games, showing Zada as Haymitch standing on a podium alongside his fellow tributes in a picturesque, hilly countryside.
It then rolls a 10-second countdown, the timeframe Hunger Games contestants must wait on their podiums before the games begin, and splices together clips of the tributes with other scenes from the film.
The trailer also features clips of some of the most highly anticipated on-screen appearances, such as Fanning as Effie and Fiennes as Snow.
Plus, there’s a shot of Lenore Dove giving Haymitch a striker that has a bird on one end and a snake on the other. The striker plays an important role in the book, was illustrated on the book’s cover, and was unveiled as the official logo for the film in a teaser clip released in April 2025, making its appearance exciting for fans of the text.
Both the teaser trailer and teaser clip end with Harrelson’s voice saying, “I think these games are gonna be different.”
Fans are hopeful that Harrelson, as well as Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson, might appear in “Sunrise on the Reaping” to play out the novel’s epilogue.
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