After the Hunger Games franchise returned with Suzanne Collins’ 2020 prequel book The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, it didn’t take much time before Lionsgate decided to bring it to film. That ended up being a hit, so, to no one’s surprise, they’ve decided to also adapt Sunrise on the Reaping, the second prequel that was released earlier this year.
Set decades after Ballad, the new film focuses on a young Haymitch Abernathy, played first by Woody Harrelson in the original movies and here by Joseph Zada. As a candidate in the 50th Hunger Games, Haymitch is fighting against 47 other kids handpicked by the Capital. “Twice the number of tributes, twice the glory,” beams Glenn Close’s Drusilla Sickle.
Longtime fans of the books will recognize young versions of series characters like Effie Trinket (Elle Fanning) and President Snow (Jesse Plemons), alongside other young players Haymitch encounters, played by the likes of Mckenna Grace and Ben Wang. It’s not going to be a good time for Haymitch and the other kids, but Lionsgate is hoping it’ll be a good time for the audience when The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping hits theaters one year from today—November 20, 2026.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping – in theaters & IMAX November 20, 2026. pic.twitter.com/9XJZ7BzgLv
— The Hunger Games (@TheHungerGames) November 20, 2025
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