Two years after "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" — the prequel novel to Suzanne Collins' beloved "The Hunger Games" trilogy — got its own film adaptation, we're heading back to Panem with a big-screen version of its follow-up book, "The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping".
Just a few weeks after the "Sunrise on the Reaping" novel hit shelves last month, Lionsgate Films announced the upcoming movie sequel during the studio's CinemaCon panel on April 1.
Longtime franchise helmer Francis Lawrence — who directed four of the five films in "The Hunger Games" film series, including "Catching Fire", "Mockingjay – Part 1", "Mockingjay – Part 2" and "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" — will once again serve as director.
Oscar-nominated screenwriter Billy Ray will also return to the franchise (he wrote 2012's "The Hunger Games") to adapt Collins' dystopian drama for the screen.
Here's everything we know so far about the "Sunrise on the Reaping" adaptation, including which fan-favorite "Hunger Games" characters will appear and when fans can expect to see it in theaters.
'Sunrise on the Reaping' release date
Lionsgate has set a global release date of November 20, 2026, for the "Sunrise on the Reaping" film adaptation, as announced by the official "The Hunger Game" social handles last summer.
As for when fans can expect production to kick off on the sequel movie, director Francis Lawrence spilled to Collider in February 2025 that filming will begin later this year.
“Yeah, I'm shooting that this year. So we've actually just sort of started prep. The book comes out mid-March. We've sort of got a research phase of prep," he told the outlet. "After London, I'm going to go on a scout, and then we start prepping in April, and we shoot this year."
Welcome to the Second Quarter Quell.The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping – in theaters November 20, 2026. pic.twitter.com/nuRcxtDZ7BJune 6, 2024
'Sunrise on the Reaping' cast rumors
As of press time, no official "Sunrise on the Reaping" cast announcements have been made by Lionsgate, though there are several rumors floating about who might possibly be popping up in the adaptation.
According to Nexus Point News, 25-year-old actor Charlie Plummer is being considered to play our young hero, a teenaged Haymitch Abernathy (who was previously portrayed as an adult by Woody Harrelson throughout "The Hunger Games" franchise).
Recent Oscar nominee Ralph Fiennes has reportedly been offered the role of President Coriolanus Snow, while Academy Award winner Emma Thompson is reportedly in talks to play the novel's Drusilla Sickle, a longtime escort in District 12.
It remains to be seen if any of those names will make it onto the "Sunrise on the Reaping" movie poster, but Francis Lawrence has spoken about the challenges of casting a young Haymitch.
In December 2024, the filmmaker told ComicBook: “It’s a search and you have to dig down and figure out what are the elements that make Woody Harrelson so interesting, right? And some of it is humor. Some of it is intelligence. Some of it is quirk. Some of it is, there’s a darkness in him that gives him an edge," he said.
"We’re going to have to find somebody that has all of that. It’s not somebody that just looks like him, or is going to study Woody Harrelson and just act like him," Lawrence continued.
"When Tom Blythe played Donald Sutherland [as Coriolanus Snow in "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes"], he wasn’t doing an impersonation. We had to find somebody that was believable that you could be like, ‘Oh, okay, I see how this guy over 70 years could turn into [President Snow].’"
'Sunrise on the Reaping' plot
As you might have already sussed out, "Sunrise on the Reaping" focuses on Hunger Games victor Haymitch Abernathy, the only winner from District 12 before Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark's (Josh Hutcherson) tie win in the original film.
As with the novel, the big-screen version will catch up with Haymitch 24 years before the original "Hunger Games" trilogy — the story will commence on the morning of the reaping of the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell.
Though plot details are few and far between about the anticipated new film, the official synopsis of Collins' book should help paint a picture of what viewers can expect.
“As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes. Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves," reads the description, per Scholastic.
However, "when Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker and the most stuck-up girl in town," who book fans will recognize as Louella McCoy, Wyatt Callow and Maysilee Donner, respectively. "As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight… and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.”
Tom's Guide will keep you posted on all details about the upcoming "The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping" movie, from casting news to plot details and behind-the-scenes intel.
More from Tom's Guide
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
