While you’d much rather it be a surprise whilst enjoying the movie for the first time, it has been confirmed that OG Hunger Games stars Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson will return to the franchise for Lionsgate’s second prequel The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.
How is that possible when this is set 24 years before the events of the The Hunger Games? Well, per Deadline’s reveal there is a scene in Suzanne Collins book in which Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson in the original films) recalls his experience of The Hunger Games to a grownup Katniss Everdeen (Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Hutcherson).
In Sunrise on the Reaping Joseph Zada (We Were Liars) will play the young Haymitch Abernathy alongside Jesse Plemons, Ralph Fiennes, Glenn Close, Kieran Culkin, Elle Fanning, Mckenna Grace, Maya Hawke, Whitney Peak, Kelvin Harrison Jr.
Set for release in November next year, The Hunger Games: Sunrise of the Reaping is once again directed by franchise-vet Francis Lawrence (The Long Walk), and tells the story of the reaping of the 50th Hunger Games, which is also known as the Second Quarter Quell, in which double the tributes are selected, meaning 48 children must enter the arena to battle for their survival.
Let us know what you think of Lawrence and Hutcherson’s return by heading to our social channels @FlickeringMyth, and check out the Sunrise of the Reaping trailer below…
“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 is set for release on November 20th 2026.
