In The Hunger Games movies, Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson) was a troubled mentor, ravaged by years of trauma and alcoholism. The Hunger Games: Sunrise at the Reaping takes viewers back 24 years to Haymitch’s youth, when he was paid homage to in the Fiftieth Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell.
teaser for The Hunger Games: Sunrise at the Reaping Joseph Zada is introduced in the role of young Haymitch. But sharp eyes will also spot some other familiar figures from Jennifer Lawrence’s Hunger Games movies. Playing gamemaker Plutarch Heavensbee, Jesse Plemons takes over the role originated by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman. Elle Fanning appears as a young Effie Trinket, originally portrayed by Elizabeth Banks. Ralph Fiennes steps into the role of President Snow, who was first played by the late Donald Sutherland, and then by Tom Blythe in the prequel. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Kieran Culkin as Caesar Flickerman (formerly Stanley Tucci) and Maya Hawke as Virus (formerly Amanda Plummer) are not seen in this trailer.
The cast also includes Glenn Close, Mckenna Grace, Whitney Peak, Iris Apatow, Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Ben Wang. Director Francis Lawrence, who has directed every Hunger Games film so far, is once again taking charge and Billy Ray is on board as screenwriter.
Ongoing as a sequel to songbirds and snakes song and its prequel hunger games (2008), The Hunger Games: Sunrise at the Reaping It is adapted from the 2025 novel by Suzanne Collins. So, if you haven’t seen the book yet and want to watch the movie before it hits theaters, your countdown starts now.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise at the Reaping Will be released in theaters on November 20, 2026.