Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson are returning to the world of Panem to reprise their roles as Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark from the original Hunger Games films for the prequel, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, multiple outlets reported.
Lionsgate will release the new film, which is adapted from author Suzanne Collins's dystopian novel of the same name, in theaters on Nov. 20, 2026.
Sunrise on the Reaping is set 24 years before Katniss and Peeta stepped onto the deadly field as reluctant tributes representing District 12. Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson), who was the sole surviving victor of previous Hunger Games from District 12, served as a mentor for Katniss and Peeta.
The story of Sunrise focuses on 16-year-old Haymitch, portrayed by Joseph Zada, as he fights to survive his own Hunger Games — all while refusing to bend the knee to the ruthless Capitol, which selects twice the number of tributes. Haymitch and 47 other children are sent into the deadly arena.
While no specifics have been released about Lawrence and Hutcherson’s roles in the upcoming movie, Collins’s Sunrise on the Reaping novel has a flash-forward scene with a grown Katniss and Peeta, where Haymitch recounts his experience in the Hunger Games to them.
Hutcherson told Variety in November, “I would love to be back on set with [director] Francis [Lawrence], with Jen, with Liam, with Woody [Harrelson],” the star said. “It would not take any convincing at all. I’d be there in a heartbeat.”
Sunrise on the Reaping is the sixth movie in the Hunger Games franchise and comes after the 2023 adaptation of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which starred Tom Blyth as a young President Snow and Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird, a singer forced to compete in the Hunger Games.
Lionsgate dropped a star-studded teaser for the new movie back in November, including Whitney Peak as Lenore Dove Baird, Mckenna Grace as Maysilee Donner, Jesse Plemons as Plutarch Heavensbee, Ralph Fiennes as President Snow, Elle Fanning as Effie Trinket and Glenn Close as Drusilla Sickle.
LATEST POSTS
- 1
Polar bears are rewiring their own genetics to survive a warming climate - 2
5 Great Youngster Care Administrations To Watch in 2024 - 3
Carina Nebula shines with white-blue stars | Space photo of the day for Jan. 5, 2026 - 4
Wegovy maker Novo sharpens consumer focus with board role for Mars CEO - 5
When will the Epstein files be released — and will they reveal anything new?
Some gifted dogs can learn new toy names by eavesdropping on owners
Vote In favor of Your Favored Cereal
'No middle ground' for tackling antisemitism after Bondi Beach mass shooting, deputy FM Haskel says
2024's Hot Games: Must-Play Titles of the Year
'Every day I planned an escape': Ariel Cunio shares details of Hamas captivity
Fetterman says he's back home after a fall put the Pennsylvania senator in the hospital
The Quadrantid meteor shower peaks tonight, but will the full 'Wolf Moon' outshine the show?
Eating ultra-processed foods could raise precancerous polyp risk for women under 50, according to research
Israel says Iran's military industry will be destroyed 'within days'












