It’s a huge day for people who peaked circa 2012: There’s a brand new Hunger Games book and movie on the way titled Sunrise on the Reaping. You thought we only needed one prequel? Wrong. There’s much more to Suzanne Collins’ ever-disturbing and brilliant story. I thought we were all still recovering from the last prequel, The Ballads of Songbirds and Snakes, which takes place 64 years before the events of the first book… Rachel Zegler and Tom Blythe truly understood that assignment. That being said, I will always welcome new Hunger Games books and movies with wide open arms.
This new prequel takes place 24 years before The Hunger Games and will focus on the Second Quarter Quell, the 50th Hunger Games. As someone who’s been severely addicted to this franchise since sixth grade, I’m sat. Here’s every single detail I know about the new Hunger Games movie so far including the release date, plot, and cast.
Everything We Know About The New Hunger Games Movie
When Is The New Hunger Games Movie Coming Out?
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Mark your calendars for November 20, 2026, folks. BRB, starting a countdown.
Who’s In The New Hunger Games Movie Cast?
They’re stacking this cast full of big names.
Joseph Zada
At the center of the movie, there’s young Haymitch, played by Joseph Zada from We Were Liars.
Lenore Dove Baird
Haymitch’s girlfriend Lenore Dove Baird will be played by Whitney Peak from the Gossip Girl reboot. She plays a big role in the 50th Hunger Games reaping.
Kieran Culkin
Straight from the department of perfect casting, Kieran Culkin will play Caesar Flickerman in Sunrise on the Reaping. Stanley Tucci played the toothy purple-haired TV host in the original Hunger Games movies, and I feel like Kieran is going to have a wild (complimentary) take.
Elle Fanning
For months and months, the fans have been dreaming about demanding Elle Fanning being cast as Effie Trinket in the Hunger Games prequel. And well, sometimes good things do happen, because we got our wish and Elle has been cast as Effie. I’m foaming at the mouth imagining how good her looks in this movie will be.
Ralph Fiennes
Young President Snow was at the center of the last Hunger Games prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, when he was played by Tom Blyth, and the older version of him was played by Donald Sutherland in all the original Hunger Games movies. Now for Sunrise on the Reaping, Ralph Fiennes will play Snow in his middle age.
Maya Hawke
Maya Hawke, from Stranger Things, is stepping into the role of Wiress, who audiences meet at an older age in Catching Fire.
Jesse Plemons
Plutarch Heavensbee, who was played by the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman in Mockingjay Part 1 and Part 2, will be played by Jesse Plemons in Sunrise on the Reaping.
Mckenna Grace
Mckenna Grace is playing Maysilee Donner, a District 12 tribute. Her character also plays a key role in Katniss’ story in the future.
Kelvin Harrison Jr.
Beetee, another fan-favorite character from Catching Fire, will be played by Kelvin Harrison Jr. in his younger form.
Lili Taylor
Lili Taylor will play Mags, who’s also a character in Catching Fire, and is Haymitch’s mentor in Sunrise on the Reaping.
Glenn Close
Icon alert! Glenn Close will play Drusilla Sickle, the cruel escort for the District 12 tributes.
Billy Porter
Broadway legend Billy Porter is playing Magno Stift, Drusilla’s estranged husband and the designer for the District 12 tributes.
What’s The New Hunger Games Movie About?
I can only hope this prequel is as stellar — and low-key hot — as the last one. The new book came out on March 18, 2025 and “revisits the world of Panem 24 years before the events of The Hunger Games, starting on the morning of the reaping of the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell,” according to a synopsis. As the stans know, the Second Quarter Quell was won by none other than District 12’s victor Haymitch Abernathy, previously played by Woody Harrelson.
Suzanne revealed that she was inspired by philosopher David Hume’s theory of “implicit submission” and “in his words, ‘the easiness with which the many are governed by the few.'” Oooo. In this book, she explores propaganda and “the power of those who control the narrative.” This doesn’t remind me of reality at all. Nope.
