Less than a year after the premiere of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, a brand-new installment in the franchise was announced with the reveal of The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. Beginning with the 2008 publication of Suzanne Collins' dystopian YA novel, The Hunger Games, the series concerns the post-apocalyptic land of Panem. In this world, each district must send representatives to compete in the annual Hunger Games competition in which they must fight to the death against the teams from other districts.

Collins' original trilogy of Hunger Games novels was quickly adapted into a blockbuster film franchise starring Jennifer Lawrence, and they were tentpole films throughout the early 2010s. The most recent film in the series, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, took fans back over 60 years before the events of the first novel and chronicled the rise of Panem's notorious dictator, Coriolanus Snow. Now, Collins has returned to pen The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, another prequel novel that has already landed a film adaptation deal with Lionsgate.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping Latest News

Jesse Plemons s The Hunger Games Prequel

With the cast of the prequel continuing to take shape, the latest news confirms that Jesse Plemons has been added to The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. The Oscar nominee (Power of the Dog) will assume the role of Plutarch Heavensbee, the part originally played by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman. In Sunrise on the Reaping, Heavensbee is a camera operator decades before his ascension to Head Gamemaker. Ironically, Plemons already had experience subbing-in for Hoffman, and he appeared in The Master as the son of Hoffman's character.

Lionsgate Motion Picture Group co-president Erin Westerman and producer Nina Jacobson issued the following statement about Plemons' casting:

Erin Westerman: Jesse is one of the most talented actors of his generation, with a proven record of picking his roles selectively. 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.

Nina Jacobson: Jesse has been one of my favorite actors since I first saw him in ‘Friday Night Lights.’ 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 the Hunger Games family.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping Release Date

The Hunger Games Return In 2026

Though it is a ways off, Lionsgate announced a release date on the same day that the company revealed they would be adapting Suzanne Collins' latest book. Coming slightly more than a year after the release of the book of the same name, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping will debut in theaters on November 20, 2026. However, with a release date so far off, it's always possible that some shuffling could occur over the next few years that displaces it from its originally scheduled slot.

The novel of the same name hit shelves on March 18, 2025.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping Cast Details

Young Haymitch Abernathy Has Been Cast

Though the cast was shrouded in mystery for months following the prequel's announcement, the first names have started to the ensemble. Tapped to lead the film as Haymitch Abernathy, Joseph Zada (We Were Liars) lands his first major role and has big shoes to fill after Woody Harrelson's iconic performance. In Sunrise on the Reaping, Haymitch is 16 and is selected as one of the tributes from District 12. Haymitch also has a younger brother named Sid, who hasn't been cast yet.

ing Zada in the cast is Whitney Peak (Gossip Girl) as Lenore Dove, a member of a formerly nomadic group known as the Covey that settled in District 12. Lenore and Haymitch form a close bond throughout the book, and her mother is thought to be the cousin of Lucy Gray Baird, the protagonist from The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Mckenna Grace has been tapped to play the role of Maysilee Donner, one of the other three tributes from District 12.

Jesse Plemons (Power of the Dog) has assumed the role of Plutarch Heavensbee, the part originally played by Philip Seymour Hoffman. At the time of the 50th Hunger Games, Heavensbee is a camera operator who films the culling of the District 12 tributes.

The confirmed cast of The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping includes:

The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping Story Details

A Young Haymitch Competes In The 50th Hunger Games

Haymitch s a plot to sabotage the games and destroy the arena, and must survive the deadly challenge while also trying to weaken the authoritarian government's control.

Much like The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, the Sunrise on the Reaping is a prequel set decades before the events of the original movie. The plot concerns 16-year-old Haymitch Abernathy, as he is selected as one of the four representatives for District 12 after one of the tributes tried to flee and was murdered. Haymitch s a plot to sabotage the games and destroy the arena, and must survive the deadly challenge while also trying to weaken the authoritarian government's control.

Sunrise on the Reaping takes place 24 years before The Hunger Games, while The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes takes place 64 years before.

It's unclear how much will be changed for the film, but with the book and movie being developed simultaneously, there may not be many changes needed. There is also a tenuous connection to The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes through Haymitch's girlfriend, Lenore Dove. Dove's mother is thought to be a cousin of Lucy from the first prequel, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping continues the theme of rebellion which would eventually come to fruition during Katniss' time.