The highly anticipated The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping has finally begun production

Joseph Zada will finally take over the role of Haymitch Abernathy as The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping enters production.

Expand Tweet

The film marks the franchise's return to the big screen after the 2023 prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, which followed Coriolanus Snow years before he turned into Panem's autocratic president. It will be based on Suzanne Collins's most recent dystopian novel, published in March 2025.

Haymitch Abernathy will be the focus of this latest narrative. Earlier, Woody Harrelson played the part, and now, it's young actor Joseph Zada's time to take over the baton.

The film will track Haymitch's formative years, 24 years before the Jennifer Lawrence-starrer saga that began with the 2012 film and ended in 2015. It will be set in Panem, long before Katniss Everdeen entered the battlefield. Haymitch will compete at the 50th Hunger Games, the Second Quarter Quell, as the film begins on the morning of the reaping.

What else do we know about The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping?

Expand Tweet

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is one of the most anticipated projects of 2026, and it hardly comes as a surprise considering the love and support that the Jennifer Lawrence-starrer movies received upon their release. Set in a dystopian world, they served as cautionary tales where young people entered a deadly battle for survival.

The franchise returns with another prequel, helmed by Francis Lawrence, who has previously directed every Hunger Games movie except the foundational film. He will work with a screenplay penned by Billy Ray, who co-wrote the 2012 film.

According to the film's social media, the cast and crew have officially begun filming the project. To share this update, they shared a half-minute video, compiled of clips featuring the beautiful locations where it will be shot. It shows landscapes filled with flowers and lush greenery, and sets up high expectations for the upcoming movie.

Who plays whom in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping?

The cast of The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping includes bright, up-and-coming talent alongside seasoned industry professionals.

As earlier revealed, Joseph Zada will be the new Haymitch Abernathy. he will be joined by Whitney Peak as Lenore Dove Baird and Mckenna Grace as Maysilee Donner. Edvin Ryding will play Vitus, Ben Wang will play Wyatt Callow, while Iris Apatow will play Proserpina.

Elle Fanning will take over Effie Trinket's role from Elizabeth Banks, while Jesse Plemons will play Plutarch Heavensbee after Philip Seymour Hoffman. Kieran Culkin joins as Caesar Flickerman, previously played by Stanley Tucci, while Kelvin Harrison Jr. joins as Beetee, after Jeffrey Wright. Lili Taylor will also join the cast as Mags.

Ralph Fiennes will star as Coriolanus Snow, and Maya Hawke will play Wiress, taking over the role from Amanda Plummer. Glenn Close and Billy Porter have been cast as Drusilla Sickle and Magno Stift, respectively.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is scheduled to be released on November 20, 2026.