Lionsgate's new prequel The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping will open in theatres on November 20, 2026, with Joseph Zada starring as a young Haymitch Abernathy alongside Elle Fanning, Jesse Plemons, Ralph Fiennes and a large ensemble cast.
The film will reach Russian cinemas a day earlier, on November 19, 2026, distributor Lionsgate confirmed.
Sunrise on the Reaping is a prequel to the original Hunger Games trilogy, set 24 years before the events of those films. Filming ran from July to November 2025 in Spain and Germany.
The Hunger Games franchise, created by author Suzanne Collins, is set in Panem, a dystopian nation built on the ruins of North America. A wealthy Capitol rules over 12 impoverished districts, each with its own industry, from coal mining to farming. Each year the Capitol forces two teenagers from every district to fight to the death in a televised event called the Hunger Games, a punishment for a past rebellion. The original trilogy followed District 12 tribute Katniss Everdeen, played by Jennifer Lawrence, who becomes the Mockingjay, a symbol of revolt against the Capitol.
The 50th Hunger Games
Sunrise on the Reaping is based on Collins's novel of the same name, published in March 2025. It centers on the 50th Hunger Games, one of the deadliest in the series' history. As part of a special anniversary edition, each district had to send four tributes instead of two, two girls and two boys, bringing the total to 48 competitors. The winner was 16-year-old Haymitch Abernathy, played in the original trilogy by Woody Harrelson.
The earlier films
The story builds on five previous entries in the franchise:
- The Hunger Games (2012), introducing Katniss and her District 12 partner Peeta Mellark, whom she helps win the Games alongside her.
- The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013), in which the Capitol forces past victors, including Katniss, back into the arena.
- The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 (2014), covering the start of Katniss's role in the rebellion.
- The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 (2015), following the civil war between the Capitol and the districts.
- The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2023), the franchise's first prequel, telling the origin story of future president Coriolanus Snow.
Production
Lionsgate announced the adaptation in the spring of 2025, shortly after the novel's release, unveiling the project at the CinemaCon trade show. Director Francis Lawrence, who directed three of the four earlier Hunger Games films, told the CinemaCon audience that Sunrise on the Reaping is his favorite novel in the series.
The screenplay was written by Billy Ray, who also wrote the first Hunger Games film, and Michael Lesslie, who worked on The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Cinematographer Joe Willems, who has shot every film in the franchise except the first, served as director of photography.
In Russia, the novel was translated by Darya Tselovalnikova, who also translated The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes when it was published there in 2020.
Cast and characters
Zada, an Australian actor who was 20 during filming, previously appeared in the television series We Were Liars. Sunrise on the Reaping is his first major franchise role. According to insiders cited in the report, casting teams looked for an actor who could capture the charisma and humor Harrelson brought to the character.
The rest of the principal cast includes:
- Elle Fanning (Maleficent, A Rainy Day in New York, Trumbo) as Effie Trinket, the escort for District 12's tributes, a role played by Elizabeth Banks in the original films.
- Jesse Plemons (Killers of the Flower Moon, American Made, Bridge of Spies) as Plutarch Heavensbee, the future head gamemaker, played by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman in the original trilogy.
- Ralph Fiennes (Schindler's List, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) as President Coriolanus Snow, played by Donald Sutherland in the original films and by Tom Blyth in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
- Mckenna Grace (Captain Marvel, Ready Player One) as Maysilee Donner, another District 12 tribute.
- Whitney Peak as Lenore Dove, Haymitch's girlfriend.
- Kieran Culkin (Succession, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) as Caesar Flickerman, the Games' host, played by Stanley Tucci in the original films.
- Maya Hawke (Stranger Things) as Wiress, a District 3 tribute who wins the 49th Games and later returns as a tribute in the 75th Games; the role was played by Amanda Plummer in Catching Fire.
- Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Beetee, Wiress's District 3 partner and winner of the 35th Games, who mentors his own son in the 50th Games; Jeffrey Wright played the role in Catching Fire.
- Molly McCann as Louella McCoy, a District 12 tribute.
- Lily Taylor (Arizona Dream, Dogfight, The Conjuring) as Mags Flanagan, winner of the 11th Games, representing District 4, a role played by Lynn Cohen in the earlier films.
Fan reaction
Online reaction to the casting has been largely positive, with fans saying the filmmakers assembled a dream cast and reviving interest in the franchise. Many noted a resemblance between Plemons and Hoffman, and welcomed Fiennes as Snow given his history of playing villains, including Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter films. Fanning's casting as Effie Trinket also drew praise.
Culkin, cast as Caesar Flickerman, won the Academy Award for best supporting actor for A Real Pain, beating Russian actor Yura Borisov in the category. Hawke, who plays Wiress, is the daughter of actors Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman. Grace, who plays Maysilee Donner, has appeared in more than 70 films despite being only 20, having started acting at age five.
