The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping

Less than a year after the premiere of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, a brand-new installment in the franchise was announced with the reveal of The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. Beginning with the 2008 publication of Suzanne Collins’ dystopian YA novel, The Hunger Games, the series concerns the post-apocalyptic land of Panem. In this world, each district must send representatives to compete in the annual Hunger Games competition in which they must fight to the death against the teams from other districts.

Collins’ original trilogy of Hunger Games novels was quickly adapted into a blockbuster film franchise starring Jennifer Lawrence, and they were tentpole films throughout the early 2010s. The most recent film in the series, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, took fans back over 60 years before the events of the first novel and chronicled the rise of Panem’s notorious dictator, Coriolanus Snow. Now, Collins has returned to pen The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, another prequel novel that has already landed a film adaptation deal with Lionsgate.

When The New Hunger Games Book Is Set Compared To Katniss’ Story And Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes

Another Hunger Games novel is on the way, and its (highly requested) story takes place between Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and the 74th Games.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping Latest News

The First Cast Members Join The Hunger Games Prequel

Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark, Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, and Woody Harrelson as Haymitch Abernathy in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. — Custom Image by Simone Ashmoore

With shooting set to begin in the summer of 2025, the latest news confirms the first two cast members have joined The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. After several updates that detailed the difficulties of casting the prequel film, Sunrise on the Reaping has finally landed its lead with Joseph Zada (We Were Liars) being tapped to play Haymitch Abernathy. Joining him is Whitney Peak (Gossip Girl) who will play the role of Lenore Dove. To announce the casting, the official X page for The Hunger Games shared videos featuring pages from the titular book.

A day or so after the first two cast members were announced, the cast grew even more with the addition of Mckenna Grace (Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire). According to Deadline, the young star is set to appear as fellow District 12 tribute Maysilee Donner, a crucial role in the upcoming prequel. Maysilee is one of four teens selected to compete in the 50th Hunger Games from Haymitch’s District.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping Release Date

The Hunger Games Return In 2026

The Title Treatment for The Hunger Games Sunrise on the Reaping

Though it is a ways off, Lionsgate announced a release date on the same day that the company revealed they would be adapting Suzanne Collins’ latest book. Coming slightly more than a year after the release of the book of the same name, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping will debut in theaters on November 20, 2026. However, with a release date so far off, it’s always possible that some shuffling could occur over the next few years that displaces it from its originally scheduled slot.

The novel of the same name hit shelves on March 18, 2025.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping Cast Details

Young Haymitch Abernathy Has Been Cast

Tom Blyth as Coriolanus Snow in Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss in The Hunger Games — Custom Image by Yeider Chacon

Though the cast was shrouded in mystery for months following the prequel’s announcement, the first names have started to join the ensemble. Tapped to lead the film as Haymitch Abernathy, Joseph Zada (We Were Liars) lands his first major role and has big shoes to fill after Woody Harrelson’s iconic performance. In Sunrise on the Reaping, Haymitch is 16 and is selected as one of the tributes from District 12. Haymitch also has a younger brother named Sid, who hasn’t been cast yet.

Joining Zada in the cast is Whitney Peak (Gossip Girl) as Lenore Dove, a member of a formerly nomadic group known as the Covey that settled in District 12. Lenore and Haymitch form a close bond throughout the book, and her mother is thought to be the cousin of Lucy Gray Baird, the protagonist from The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Mckenna Grace has been tapped to play the role of Maysilee Donner, one of the other three tributes from District 12.

Furthermore, iconic characters from the Hunger Games franchise also make appearances in the book, but it’s unclear who will play them. Effie Trinket would go on to play a much larger role in Katniss’ time, but in Sunrise on the Reaping she is merely a stylist for District 12. Meanwhile, President Coriolanus Snow is already in power over Panem by the time of Haymitch’s Hunger Games, but it’s unclear if Tom Blyth will return or if the part will be recast with an older actor.

The confirmed cast of The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping includes:

Actor	Sunrise on the Reaping Role
Joseph Zada	Haymitch Abernathy
Whitney Peak	Lenore Dove
Mckenna Grace	Maysilee Donner

The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping Story Details

A Young Haymitch Competes In The 50th Hunger Games

Haymitch joins a plot to sabotage the games and destroy the arena, and must survive the deadly challenge while also trying to weaken the authoritarian government’s control.

Much like The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, the upcoming Sunrise on the Reaping is a prequel set decades before the events of the original movie. The plot concerns 16-year-old Haymitch Abernathy, as he is selected as one of the four representatives for District 12 after one of the tributes tried to flee and was murdered. Haymitch joins a plot to sabotage the games and destroy the arena, and must survive the deadly challenge while also trying to weaken the authoritarian government’s control.

Sunrise on the Reaping takes place 24 years before The Hunger Games, while The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes takes place 64 years before.

It’s unclear how much will be changed for the film, but with the book and movie being developed simultaneously, there may not be many changes needed. There is also a tenuous connection to The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes through Haymitch’s girlfriend, Lenore Dove. Dove’s mother is thought to be a cousin of Lucy from the first prequel, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping continues the theme of rebellion which would eventually come to fruition during Katniss’ time.