Ralph Fiennes is now officially a part of The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping (& he's gearing up for this villainous role)

Conclave star Ralph Fiennes has been cast in the prequel, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. He will play the tyrannical antagonist Coriolanus Snow, who was previously played by Donald Sutherland and Tom Blyth.

Donald Sutherland starred in the initial Hunger Games series from 2012 to 2015. Later, Tom Blyth took over the role of Coriolanus Snow in the 2023 film, which showed him turning into a ruthless and manipulative villain. Now, Ralph Fiennes is taking over this role that happens after the events of the 2023 film but before the initial series.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is being produced by Brad Simpson and Nina Jacobson from Color Force, with Cameron MacConomy joining as the executive producer. While speaking about Ralph Fiennes' casting as Coriolanus Snow, Jacobson said,

“We wanted to honor Donald Sutherland by having one of this generation’s greatest actors play President Snow 24 years before Katniss Everdeen entered the arena. Working with Ralph has been on my bucket list since he traumatized me for life in Schindler’s List. It’s genuinely a thrill to welcome him to the Hunger Games.”

Lionsgate oversees the distribution for The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping through Meredith Wieck and Scott O’Brien along with Phil Strina, on behalf of the studio.

What is The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping about?

CinemaCon 2025 - Lionsgate Presentation & State Of The Industry - Source: Getty

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is based on Suzanne Collins' 2025 novel of the same name, according to Vanity Fair. The film adaptation was reportedly announced in June 2024.

It takes place 24 years before the events in Jennifer Lawrence's Katniss Everdeen saga and traces the journey of young Haymitch Abernathy, who participates in the 50th Hunger Games. Similarly, the film will take us back to the morning of the reaping event in Panem and show Haymitch's journey as a 16-year-old lad.

Francis Lawrence, who has helmed all the Hunger Games films except the first one, returns to his directorial duties for Sunrise on the Reaping. Billy Ray, who worked on the first film, is writing the screenplay.

Who stars in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping?

The 2025 Met Gala Celebrating "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" - Arrivals - Source: Getty

The forthcoming The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping brings new faces to the well-known characters, with Maya Hawke replacing Amanda Plummer, Kelvin Harrison Jr. replacing Jeffrey Wright, Jesse Plemons replacing Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Lili Taylor replacing Lynn Cohen.

Joseph Zada (Invisible Boys) as Haymitch Abernathy
Whitney Peak (Gossip Girl) as Lenore Dove Baird
Mckenna Grace (Gifted) as Maysilee Donner
Maya Hawke (Stranger Things) as Wiress
Jesse Plemons (The Power of the Dog) as Plutarch Heavensbee
Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Waves) as Beetee
Ben Wang (Karate Kid: Legends) as Wyatt Callow
Lili Taylor (Mystic Pizza) as Mags

Ralph Fiennes is the latest addition to this list as Coriolanus Snow. He has already played an iconic villain, Voldemort, in the Harry Potter film series. Fiennes has been nominated three times for an Oscar, and the most recent one was for Edward Berger's Conclave (2024).

Fiennes will soon star in Nicholas Hytner's The Choral and Danny Boyle's 28 Years Later. Apart from that, he is also expected to star in his directorial The Beacon based on a screenplay he wrote.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is slated for release on November 20, 2026.