The odds are officially in fans’ favor. Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson are set to reprise their iconic roles as Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark in 2026’s The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
While specific details about their appearances remain under wraps, the timeline presents an intriguing puzzle. Since Sunrise on the Reaping takes place 24 years before the events of the first Hunger Games film, some form of time jump will be necessary to bring these beloved characters back to the screen. Fans who’ve already read Suzanne Collins’ Sunrise on the Reaping novel, published in March of this year, likely have insight into how and when Katniss and Peeta will make their appearance in this adaptation.
A New Chapter in the Hunger Games Saga
The debut trailer for The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping dropped last month, arriving one year ahead of its November 20, 2026 release date. The film will mark the sixth installment in The Hunger Games franchise, serving double duty as both a prequel to the original trilogy and a sequel to The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes—the first prequel story that arrived as a novel in 2020 and received a film adaptation starring Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler in 2023.
Young Haymitch Takes Center Stage
The recently released teaser trailer introduces Joseph Zada as young Haymitch Abernathy on the morning of the reaping for the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell. The footage showcases Zada’s character displaying his fighting prowess as he competes in the deadly games a generation before Woody Harrelson portrayed the older, world-weary Abernathy in the original franchise films.
“I think these games are gonna be different,” young Haymitch says at one point in the trailer, hinting at the brutal twists that made the Second Quarter Quell infamous in Panem’s history.
An Impressive Ensemble Cast
Francis Lawrence is directing a screenplay adaptation by Billy Ray for Sunrise on the Reaping. The star-studded cast includes:
- Ralph Fiennes as Panem’s ruthless dictator
- Glenn Close
- Kieran Culkin
- Elle Fanning
- Billy Porter
- Whitney Peak
- Mckenna Grace
- Jesse Plemons
- Kelvin Harrison Jr.
- Maya Hawke
- Lili Taylor
- Ben Wang
Expanding the Franchise Beyond Film
The trailer’s release coincides with Lionsgate launching a stage adaptation of The Hunger Games in London, further extending a film franchise that has dominated the box office with over $3.4 billion in global earnings. The original trilogy, led by Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, became a cultural phenomenon that redefined young adult adaptations and launched Lawrence into superstardom.
Collins’ Sunrise on the Reaping novel returns readers to Panem on the morning of the reaping for the 50th Hunger Games, set before the events of the franchise’s first book, initially published in 2008. With Lawrence and Hutcherson returning to the roles that made them household names, fans can expect an emotional reunion that bridges past and present in Panem’s dark history.
May the odds be ever in our favor as we count down to November 2026.
