Casting has been picking up for the upcoming Hunger Games prequel Sunrise on the Reaping and now comes word that Breaking Bad and Civil War actor Jesse Plemons has joined the film in the role of Plutarch Heavensbee, previously played by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman.
In the original Hunger Games novels and films, Plutarch Heavensbee was a Game Maker and expert propagandist for the Capitol and later the rebellion. In Sunrise on the Reaping, he is working for the Capitol filming and manipulating footage for District 12’s reaping ceremony and 50th Hunger Games.
“Jesse is one of the most talented actors of his generation, with a proven record of picking his roles selectively,” said Erin Westerman, co-president of Lionsgate. “We are honored that he has chosen to bring his own take to one of the most fascinating figures in Panem, and feel that his previous collaboration with Philip Seymour Hoffman makes it all the more special. His Plutarch will be both a tribute to the character fans have already come to know and a portrayal he makes his own. We can’t wait for audiences to see it.”
“Jesse has been one of my favorite actors since I first saw him in ‘Friday Night Lights,'” said producer Nina Jacobson. “We knew from the start that only an actor’s actor could play a young version of Plutarch. Jesse was the dream from the start and we couldn’t be prouder to have him join the Hunger Games family.”
Released last month by Suzanne Collins, Sunrise on the Reaping takes fans back to the 50th anniversary of the Hunger Games, otherwise known as the Second Quarter Quell, where fan-favourite Haymitch Abernathy was reaped as one of District 12’s four tributes to compete in the game and won, eventually going on to mentor Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark nearly 25 years later in their own Games.
Plemons joins a cast that sees Joseph Zada (Invisible Boys) as Haymitch, Whitney Peak (Hocus Pocus 2) as Haymitch’s girlfriend Lenore Dove Baird and McKenna Grace (Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire) as Maysilee Donner, one of the female District 12 tributes.
Francis Lawrence returns to the director’s chair for Sunrise on the Reaping after directing every Hunger Games film since Catching Fire, while original Hunger Games screenwriter Billy Ray pens the script.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping will revisit 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.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping will be released on November 20th, 2026.
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