Release Date, Cast, & More – Hollywood Life

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Are you, are you coming back to the tree? Hunger Games fans always had the odds in their favor, now that The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping has hit shelves. Now, they can await the upcoming movie as well. Following the worldwide success of the Coriolanus Snow prequel novel and film, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, author Suzanne Collins and Lionsgate Motion Picture Group announced that a film was in development.

Hollywood Life has rounded up all the details you need to know about the Sunrise on the Reaping book and movie.

What Is ‘Sunrise on the Reaping’ About?

The fifth book in the series takes place during the Second Quarter Quell, the 50th Hunger Games. Since fans were introduced to Katniss Everdeen during the 74th games, Sunrise on the Reaping takes place nearly 25 years before the Mockingjay changes Panem.

“The Second Quarter Quell is legendary and looms large over the history of the Games, even into the time of Katniss Everdeen a quarter-century later,” Lionsgate’s Adam Fogelson said, per The Hollywood Reporter. “Like fans around the globe, we are eagerly anticipating this exciting return to Panem.”

Some fans were already speculating over a prequel story about Haymitch Abernathy, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark’s mentor, who also won the 50th Hunger Games.

The story follows 16-year-old Haymitch, who lives in District Twelve with his mother and little brother. After Haymitch is suddenly taken as a tribute for the 50th Hunger Games, readers learn how his traumatic past followed him into the future as an alcoholic.

When Will the ‘Sunrise on the Reaping’ Movie Premiere?

Directed by franchise veteran Francis Lawrence, the film is set to hit theaters on November 20, 2026.

When Does ‘Sunrise on the Reaping’ Book Come Out?

The book hit shelves on March 18, 2025.

Who Is in the ‘Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ Cast?

The cast of The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is led by Australian actor Joseph Zada, who stars as a 16-year-old Haymitch Abernathy in his breakout Hollywood role. Joining him is Gossip Girl and Hocus Pocus 2 star Whitney Peak, who plays Lenore Dove Baird, Haymitch’s girlfriend and fellow tribute from District 12. Mckenna Grace, known for her work in Ghostbusters: Afterlife, The Handmaid’s Tale, and Gifted, takes on the role of Maysilee Donner, another District 12 tribute and Haymitch’s ally in the arena.

Many already know that original cast members Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, and more likely will not return because this story is set more than two decades before their characters were introduced.

Furthermore, the cast from The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes — Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Josh Andrés Rivera and others — are also unlikely to star in the upcoming movie.