Nearly eight years after Mockingjay, Part 2 closed the book on Katniss Everdeen’s fight for freedom, The Hunger Games is returning to the big screen with a brand new chapter. Following the success of 2023’s prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Lionsgate is once again taking audiences back to Panem… this time with a story fans have been eager to see brought to life.
Titled The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, the upcoming film adapts Suzanne Collins’ latest novel and reunites director Francis Lawrence with producers Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson. With a release date already set in stone, fans are looking forward to the newest installment in the franchise.
Here’s everything we know about The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.
When Will it be released
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is set to release in theaters on November 20, 2026.
Who’s behind the new FILM?
The creative team behind Sunrise on the Reaping reads like a reunion of Hunger Games veterans. According to Deadline, Francis Lawrence, who previously directed Catching Fire, both parts of Mockingjay, and the recent prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, is set to return at the helm, bringing his seasoned vision back to Panem. The script is in the hands of Billy Ray, the screenwriter who first brought Suzanne Collins’ original novel to theaters, making this a full-circle moment for the franchise. Longtime producers Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson of Color Force are once again overseeing the production, with Cameron MacConomy on board as executive producer.
Who’s In It?
The cast of The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is nothing short of stacked, pulling together an impressive lineup of rising stars, and award-winning legends to bring this prequel-sequel to life. Leading the charge is Joseph Zada (We Were Liars) as a young Haymitch Abernathy, the role made famous by Woody Harrelson in the original films. Producer Nina Jacobson has called casting Haymitch one of the biggest challenges of the production, noting the need to capture both the mischievous spark and the underlying depth that define the character.
Ralph Fiennes (Schindler’s List, Harry Potter) plays President Coriolanus Snow, stepping into the role previously portrayed by Donald Sutherland and Tom Blyth, with Jacobson calling his casting both a tribute to Sutherland and a personal dream fulfilled. Glenn Close joins as Drusilla Sickle, the razor-edged escort for District 12, while Billy Porter (Pose) plays her estranged husband, Magno Stift, the tributes’ reluctant fashion designer.
Maya Hawke (Stranger Things) plays Wiress, another District 3 victor mentoring the District 12 team, and Lili Taylor (Six Feet Under) takes on Mags, the tough but compassionate former champion from District 4.
The film also introduces younger versions of familiar faces. From District 3, Kelvin Harrison Jr. appears as Beetee, here as a past victor whose son is a tribute in the Games, lending his tech expertise to sabotage efforts; Jeffrey Wright originated the role in the original Hunger Games film. Elle Fanning (The Great) steps into the role of Effie Trinket, originally portrayed by Elizabeth Banks, serving as Haymitch’s image-conscious stylist. Kieran Culkin (Succession) takes over as Caesar Flickerman, the Games’ slick and smarmy TV host, while Jesse Plemons (The Power of the Dog) plays a young Plutarch Heavensbee, years before becoming a rebellion leader, capturing the reaping for District 12.
Joining Haymitch from District 12 is McKenna Grace as Maysilee Donner, one of the other tributes from Haymitch’s home district, and Whitney Peak (Gossip Girl) as Lenore Dove Baird, Haymitch’s girlfriend and a descendant of Rachel Zegler’s Lucy Gray Baird from The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Ben Wang takes on the role of Wyatt Callow, District 12’s other male tribute with a knack for reading the odds, while Molly McCann plays Louella, the youngest tribute from the district, and Iona Bell appears as Lou Lou, Louella’s Capitol-appointed double.
WHAT IS THE STORY OF THE HUNGER GAMES: SUNRISE ON THE REAPING?
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping marks the sixth installment in the blockbuster Hunger Games series. According to People, Collins’ 2025 novel bridges the gap between The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and the events of Katniss Everdeen’s original story. Set 24 years before the first film, the story follows a young Haymitch Abernathy as he is thrust into the brutal 50th Hunger Games, better known as the Second Quarter Quell. This notorious event doubled the number of tributes from each district, making it the bloodiest Games in Panem’s history. Haymitch must navigate the deadly arena but also the manipulations of the regime. Along the way, fans can expect the film to dive into Haymitch’s relationship with love interest Lenore Dove.
The original Hunger Games films were a box office powerhouse, cementing the franchise as one of the most successful dystopian sagas in movie history. Kicking off in 2012, the first film earned over $690 million worldwide, a remarkable feat for a YA adaptation at the time. The 2013 sequel, Catching Fire, became the highest-grossing installment, raking in just over $865 million globally and topping the U.S. box office for the year. Along with the two-part finale, Mockingjay, Part 1 (2014) and Mockingjay, Part 2 (2016), the series’ total global earnings are just under $3 billion. The films also launched actress Jennifer Lawrence into global superstardom.
Are there any trailers?
No trailers for The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping have been released yet, but the film officially began production in Summer 2025 in Spain’s Somiedo Natural Park (via a social media announcement). In addition, fans have received a first reveal at the new film. With filming in the early stages and a late 2026 release date, we most likely won’t see an official trailer until mid-2026.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is set to release in theaters on November 20, 2026.
