Suzanne Collins gave her readers a huge gift in returning to the world of The Hunger Games series, the first three books of which she wrote in 2008, 2009 and 2010, for the prequel story of one Haymitch Abernathy.
Haymitch, portrayed by Woody Harrelson in the quartet of films based on Collins’ original book trilogy, was Katniss Everdeen’s (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark’s (Josh Hutcherson) mentor for their two Hunger Games — the 74th and 75th.
For everything we know about the film adaptation of Hunger Game: Sunrise on the Reaping, read on:
When does the The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping film come out?
The film will arrive in theaters November 20, 2026.
Has the Sunrise on the Reaping film started production yet?
The film is still in early rounds of casting.
Who will play Haymitch Abernathy in The Sunrise on the Reaping movie?
Joseph Zada has been cast in the main role of Haymitch for the film. Zada will soon appear in another highly anticipated book adaptation, the television series We Were Liars coming to Prime Video this June. In that show, he plays Johnny Sinclair.
Deadline exclusively reported Zada’s casting alongside the actress who will play Haymitch’s love interest, Lenore Dove Baird.
Who else is in the cast of The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping film?
Whitney Peak will portray Lenore Dove Baird, Haymitch’s girl and a descendant of the Covey, the nomadic group of performers whom Collins expanded upon in her first prequel story, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
Joseph Zada and Whitney Peak
Hugh Stewart/Kate Whyte
Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), was a member of the Covey.
Deadline also exclusively broke the news of McKenna Grace’s casting as Maysilee Donner, another District 12 tribute, in the upcoming film.
Wyatt Callow and Louella McCoy are the two other District 12 tributes that fought in the 50th Hunger Games alongside Haymitch and Maysilee.
More familiar characters who will prominently feature in this story are of course President Snow (portrayed by the late Donald Sutherland in the first four Hunger Games films and later Tom Blythe in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes), Plutarch Heavensbee (portrayed by the late Philip Seymour-Hoffman in Catching Fire and Mockingjay Parts 1 and 2), Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks in the original four Hunger Games films), Beetee (Jeffrey Wright in Catching Fire and both parts of Mockingjay) and Caesar Flickerman (Stanley Tucci’s commentator and celebrity personality from the first quartet).
What is The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping about?
The prequel story focuses on Haymitch’s Hunger Games. Obviously since he was around to mentor Katniss and Peeta in their first and (unfortunately) second set of games, he was a victor of his own games, but that did not make them any more gruesome, for his games were the 50th set.
Every 25 years, the capitol of Panem, the dystopian nation in which these stories take place, reinforces what is called the Quarter Quell, meaning a special wrinkle or rule is added to the Hunger Games before The Reaping ceremony, in which tribute names are drawn.
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The wrinkle of Haymitch’s games was that each district was required to send double the amount of tributes that year, so four competitors from each district doubled the amount of players in the games — making it a whopping 48 versus the normal 24.
For those new to the universe entirely, each District of Panem — there are 12 — is forced to send two tributes each into the Hunger Games, a barbaric tradition that pits these pairs of usually children together in an arena to fight until the death until only one remains. Collins has spoken of the inspiration as gladiator fights and Greek mythology. The two tributes, a boy and a girl, are selected in a Reaping process which involves slips of paper with names on them in a bowl that a Capitol representative pulls from.
In District 12, specifically, where Katniss, Peeta, Haymitch AND Lucy Gray Baird are from, candidates can opt for extra slips of paper with their names on them to get more food or supplies, because the coal-mining district is a poor one.
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Who else is behind the Sunrise on the Reaping film?
Francis Lawrence, who directed The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes as well as Catching Fire and both Mockingjay films, will return to helm this prequel story, penned by Billy Ray, who wrote the script for the first original film’s adaptation.
Content shared from deadline.com.