A new chapter in the Hunger Games saga is officially underway, and it begins with a familiar name — Haymitch Abernathy. Rising actor Joseph Zada has been cast as the younger version of the fan-favourite character in the upcoming prequel Sunrise on the Reaping, while Whitney Peak joins him as Lenore Dove Baird, Haymitch’s girlfriend. Together, they’ll lead the story back to Panem’s brutal past — and into the heart of the 50th Hunger Games.
Set more than two decades before Katniss Everdeen’s revolution, Sunrise on the Reaping explores Haymitch’s own time as a tribute during the Second Quarter Quell. Readers of the bestselling novel — which sold 1.2 million copies in its first week — will already know this is no ordinary edition of the Games. The stakes are deadly, the politics cruel, and the emotional cost unflinchingly high.
Francis Lawrence, the director behind several previous Hunger Games films, returns to helm the project, with Billy Ray once again penning the screenplay. The film is produced by franchise veterans Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson, alongside Cameron MacConomy as executive producer — ensuring continuity for long-time fans, while offering a new angle for the next generation.
"Jo and Whitney carry that legacy forward with incredible heart, depth, and fire," said Erin Westerman, co-president of Lionsgate’s Motion Picture Group, noting that the duo was selected from hundreds of auditioning performers worldwide. Their casting marks the franchise’s continued tradition of launching fresh talent into the spotlight — just as it once did for Jennifer Lawrence.
Sunrise on the Reaping is scheduled to premiere in cinemas on 20 November 2026, with production ramping up as anticipation builds. And with a story that promises both heartbreak and rebellion, it seems Panem has more stories to tell — long before the Girl on Fire ever entered the arena.
