It's the day of the Second Quarter Quell in Panem and the Hunger Games are announced with twice the number of tributes to participate in a game of blood and brutal war to bring glory to their districts. At the centre of it is 12-year-old Haymitch Abernathy who is also one of the chosen ones to play. This starts the action of the plot of the upcoming The Hunger Games prequel, Sunrise on the Reaping. Lionsgate has shared the first trailer, exactly a year ahead of its release, which gives us glimpse into the characters of the lead cast members.
Joseph Zada and Whitney Peak play the leads Haymitch Abernathy and his girlfriend Lenore Dove Baird, Mckenna Grace as Maysilee Donner, Ralph Fiennes as the sinister President Snow, Jesse Plemons as Plutarch Heavensbee, Kieran Culkin as Caesar Flickerman, Elle Fanning as Effie Trinket.
Directed by Francis Lawrence, the cast also includes Molly McCann as Louella, Iona Bell as Lou Lou, Maya Hawke as Wiress, Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Beetee, Jhaleil Swaby as Panache, Glenn Close as Drusilla Sickle, Billy Porter as her estranged husband, Lili Taylor as Mags and Ben Wang as Wyatt.
Set 24 years before the events of The Hunger Games during the Second Quarter Quell (50th Hunger Games), it will centre on Haymitch Abernathy, portrayed by Woody Harrelson in the original Hunger Games movies and how he competes in the games with 48 children as tributes.
Francis Lawrence has helmed every Hunger Games installment since 2012’s Catching Fire. Billy Ray, who has co-written the original trilogy, is writing the screenplay for the film. The upcoming film, which went on floors in August this year, is being bankrolled by Color Force’s Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson. Cameron MacConomy is the executive producer.
Based on Suzanne Collins' eponymous novel, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is slated for a November 20, 2026 release.
