Katniss! Peeta! Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson will return to the Hunger Games universe
Fourteen years after their breakout roles in the juggernaut dystopian franchise The Hunger Games, and a decade since their last appearance in one of the films, Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson are set to return to Panem.
As reported by Deadline, the stars are confirmed to appear in the forthcoming prequel, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. The movie follows The Hunger Games (2012), Catching Fire (2013), Mockingjay—Part 1 (2014), Mockingjay—Part 2 (2015), and the prequel The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023), which are all based on Suzanne Collins’s original books. A successful stage show was also recently launched in London.
Below, here’s everything we know about The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.
What is The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping about?
Sunrise on the Reaping begins on the morning of the reaping of the 50th Hunger Games (or Second Quarter Quell)—24 years before The Hunger Games, and 40 years after The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes. It picks up on the story of 16-year-old Haymitch Abernathy, a sharp boy from District 12 who, in the early movies and later in the Hunger Games timeline, becomes the mentor to Katniss and Peeta. This 50th year has a terrible, deadly twist: there are twice the number of tributes, and 48 children are sent into the life-threatening battle.
Sunrise on the Reaping is the second prequel film in the series, following The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, which was released in 2023. Author Suzanne Collins’s book of the same name sold more than 1.5 million copies worldwide during its first release week earlier this year, which marked the biggest debut for one of her novels to date.
Who is in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping cast?
Jennifer Lawrence is officially confirmed to reprise her role as Katniss Everdeen, while Hutcherson is set to return as Peeta Mellark, as reported by Deadline. (It’s likely the duo will return in a flash-forward scene alongside Woody Harrelson, who played the older Abernathy.) The last time we saw Katniss and Peeta was in Mockingjay—Part 2.
Just last month, Hutcherson told Variety he would “be there in a heartbeat” if he were asked to come back. “It would not take any convincing at all.”
In that final appearance, Katniss and Peeta have settled down together in District 12, years after the war. They are married and have two children, a boy and a girl. The final scenes see them still learning to cope with the trauma of the Hunger Games, but finding peace in their new family.
Francis Lawrence is back once again as director, while previously confirmed cast members include Ralph Fiennes as President Snow, Jesse Plemons as Plutarch Heavensbee, Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Beetee Latier, Kieran Culkin as Caesar Flickerman, and Elle Fanning as Effie Trinket. Joseph Zada (as Abernathy), Glenn Close, Mckenna Grace, Maya Hawke, and Whitney Peak are also on board. Oscar-nominated screenwriter Billy Ray has adapted the novel.
Is there a trailer?
The first teaser trailer dropped on November 20, and featured both new and familiar faces. The high-stakes, heartrate-raising footage shows Abernathy (Zada) fighting and competing. Glenn Close appears as Capitol official Drusilla Sickle, with heavy facial prosthetics and an angular orange bob. “Welcome, Panem, to the glorious reaping of District 12!” Close proclaims.
We then meet all of the young tributes, and see their dynamic sinisterly change as they move from friends to rivals. “I think these games are gonna be different,” says a young Abernathy.
When will The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping be released?
Filming on Sunrise on the Reaping began in summer 2025, and reportedly wrapped in November. It is due for release on November 20, 2026.
This story was first published on Vogue.com.
