Suzanne Collins’ ground-breaking Hunger Games trilogy wasn’t just a popular book series, it became a blockbuster hit in cinemas too. Since the final movie was released in 2015, the author has released not one but two new prequel novels which have subsequently been given the book-to-screen treatment.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes hit theatres in 2023, and Suzanne’s brand-new story Sunrise on the Reaping is set for a 2026 release. Here’s everything we know so far.
Is Sunrise on the Reaping going to be a movie?
Before Suzanne Collins had even finished writing Sunrise on the Reaping, a movie adaption of the book was announced by Lionsgate.
“Suzanne Collins is a master storyteller and our creative north star,” the chair of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, Adam Fogelson, said in June 2024. “We couldn’t be more fortunate than to be guided and trusted by a collaborator whose talent and imagination are so consistently brilliant.”
The Sunrise on the Reaping movie is set to hit theatres in November 2026.
What is the 2026 Hunger Games movie about?
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins is a prequel novel to The Hunger Games series, and follows Haymitch Abernathy, Katniss’s mentor, as he competes in the 50th annual Hunger Games Quarter Quell.
The official synopsis reads: “As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honour of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes.
“Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves.
“When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.”
If you haven’t read the book yet, you can grab your copy here.
Who plays Haymitch in Sunrise on the Reaping?
Sadly, the cast for Sunrise on the Reaping is yet to be announced.
However, many fans have taken to social media to share who they hope will be cast as Haymitch Abernathy.
Some of the names that have been thrown around for the role of Haymitch include Drew Starkey (Outer Banks), Mike Faist (Challengers), Leo Woodall (The White Lotus) and Tom Glynn-Carney (House of the Dragon).
The director, Francis Lawrence, has spoken on the difficulty of the casting process when it comes to Haymitch’s character.
“It’s a search and you have to dig down and figure out what are the elements that make Woody Harrelson so interesting, right? And some of it is humour. Some of it is intelligence. Some of it is quirk. Some of it is, there’s a darkness in him that gives him an edge,” he said.
“We’re going to have to find somebody that has all of that. It’s not somebody that just looks like him, or is going to study Woody Harrelson and just act like him,” he continued.
Where to watch the Hunger Games movies in Australia
The entire original Hunger Games franchise is available to stream on Netflix in Australia.
Meanwhile, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes can be viewed on Prime Video.
Stream The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes on Prime Video now from $6.58/mth, with a 30-day free trial. Subscribe here.
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